Guidant Corporation announced on July 18 th that it was recalling a number of Meridian pacemakers manufactured between 1997 and 2000 due to a potentially lethal manufacturing defect. There have been 69 reports of failure out of the 28,000 similar units still in use, five incidents of fainting, and one unconfirmed death linked to pacemaker failure.

A pacemaker is a small electronic device that is used by heart patients to provide artificial stimulation of the heart muscle to ensure proper heart rate. The device is implanted into the upper left chest, typically under the collarbone, and is usually no larger than two half dollars held together.

Unfortunately, the hermetic seal that holds the two halves of the unit together has been shown to degrade over time which can expose the delicate electronics inside to moisture from the body. Moisture can cause the unit to malfunction and prevent the device from providing necessary pacing function.

Indications of pacemaker malfunction include:

• Advanced batter depletion
• Inadequate pacing function
• Early reset warning
• Early replacement warning

If you or someone you know has a Guidant Meridian Pacemaker model numbers 0476, 0976, 1176, or 1276, you should be aware that shortness of breath, dizziness, fainting, or light-headedness could be early warnings of unit failure. If you experience these symptoms contact your health care professional immediately. Guidant models also affected include:

Pulsar Max | Pulsar | Discovery | Discover II | Virtus Plus II | Intelis II | Contak TR | Pulsar Max II

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