March 2, 2007: Guidant Lawsuits Increase to 1,175
The lawsuits that have been filed in relation to Guidant defibrillators went up as many as 1,175 cases, including 75 class action suits. The information about the probable liability over Guidant heart devices was published by the Securities and Exchange Commission. Guidant Corporation was acquired by Boston Scientific in April 2006.
September 14, 2006: Guidant Settles Fraud Suit Over Defibrillator
Guidant Corporation, the manufacturer of defibrillator, settled a lawsuit that was planned for trial in Texas on September 18, 2006. The two plaintiffs alleged that Guidant was unable to warn the patients of the probable health risks caused by the implantation of the medical devices. The costs of the settlement, however, were not revealed. Then, in June 2005, Guidant recalled some implantable defribrillators because of certain risks of internal short circuit.
July 11, 2006: US Food and Drug Administration Issues Statement on Boston Scientific/Guidant Pacemakers and Defibrillators
FDA released an announcement of support to Boston Scientific/Guidant’s recommendation for the doctors to make follow-up exams to patients with implanted pacemakers and defibrillators. Boston Scientific/Guidant has recently recalled some devices due to their probable to malfunction. Boston Scientific/Guidant affirmed 5 reports of device malfunctions on among 27,200 patients all over the world, who have been implanted with these devices.
November 2, 2005: Guidant Corporation Sued Over Faulty Defibrillator
The People of the State of New York filed a lawsuit against Guidant Corporation claiming that Guidant kept on selling faulty defibrillators without adequate warning to doctors and patients regarding it probable hazards. The case also claimed that Guidant knew that there was a flaw in the Ventak Prizm 2DR Model1861 in February 2002, and fixed the defect in April 2002 and November 2002. The case further claimed that Guidant kept on selling the pre-April 2002 devices without informing the doctors and patients about the modifications made and the potential hazards related with the device.
June 17, 2005” FDA Issues Nationwide Notification of Recall of Certain Guidant Defibrillators
FDA informed the medical community including the healthcare providers that there was a recall on some implantable defibrillators and cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillators made by Guidant Corporation. These devices can develop internal short circuit without warning which might lead to failure to generate shock when necessary.