Boston Scientific / Guidant has recalled some of the models within the Contak Renewal 3 and 4, Vitality and Vitality 2 families of implantable cardiac defibrillators due to faulty capacitors.
This newest Guidant defibrillator recall includes about 73,000 implantable heart defibrillators and cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillators because the faulty capacitors may cause the battery to die prematurely, and may reduce the time between the first sign of the elective replacement indicator and the end of life of the battery to less than three months.
Although the current defibrillator recall is similar to the recall of May 2006, the failure modes and patient outcomes differ from those described in the May 2006 recall. Patients with one of the recalled devices should contact their healthcare provider regarding the next steps to take.
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