Louisville Personal Injury Lawyer - Defective Products

Answers to the Medtronic Recall

Jennifer Moore — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 02:58:19 GMT

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Jennifer Moore

Stamina Products Inc. recalls Inversion Therapy Tables Due to Fall Hazard

Jenny Albano — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 17:38:19 GMT

Stamina Products Inc., in conjunction with the CPSC, is recalling about 2,000 Inversion Therapy Tables due to a fall hazard.

A weld in the center of the inversion table can fail when the table is in an inverted position, posing a fall hazard to consumers. Stamina Products has received three reports of weld failures. No injuries have been reported.

The recalled products include the following model numbers and serial numbers:
Inversion Therapy Table
M#- 55-1531
S#- 05NOV000001 through 05NOV000414 and
05DEC000415 through 05DEC000828
Pro Inversion System
M#- 55-1536, 55-1536A, and 55-1536B
S#- 05SEP000001 through 05SEP000528,
06NOV000001 through 06NOV000528, and
07SEP000001 through 07SEP000528

The model and serial numbers are listed to the left of the rubber stopper and cross bar on the Stamina label. The equipment allows consumers to fasten themselves to the table in an upright position and invert. The recalled products were available at retail store and online across the nation from October 2005 to October 2007.

For more information on this subject, please refer to our section on Defective and Dangerous Products.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Jenny Albano

Should You Have Your Defective Medtronic Defibrillator Lead Replaced?

Jennifer Moore — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 00:31:03 GMT

On October 15, Medtronic acknowledged that its Fidelis lead for defibrillators was fracturing and recalled the product. Now, heart patients must decide whether to undergo surgery and have the faulty lead and defibrillator removed and replaced. The operation may last approximately 90 minutes depending upon the individual patient. Medtronic has only offered to pay $800 toward the surgery and provide a replacement lead.

You should consult your physician immediately to determine whether you are a candidate for surgery.

The defaulty defibrillator lead has been linked to at least five deaths and numerous cases of unnecessary shocks. The default in the product could prevent the defibrillator from firing when needed.

The lead, called the Fidelis, is a spaghetti-thin plastic tube enclosing electrical wires and sensors. The risks of the patient's operation, besides the possibility for infection, included potential perforation of his heart and the veins in his chest. There was also a slight danger of damaging the heart valve through which the lead had been threaded in 2005, when doctors had screwed the tip into muscle in the bottom of the right ventricle of his heart.

For more information on this subject, please refer to the section on Drugs, Medical Devices, and Implants.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Jennifer Moore

Medtronic Recalled Defective Defibrillator Lead

Jennifer Moore — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 13:03:39 GMT

To find out more information regarding Medtronic's voluntary recall of the Sprint Fidelis defibrillator lead, visit the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) website and review its statement on the recall. The FDA states that:

These electronic wires are prone to fracture in a small number of patients which can cause the defibrillator to deliver unnecessary shocks or not operate at all. Based on our initial review of reported adverse events, some deaths and major complications have occurred after the leads have fractured.

...Medtronic announced it was voluntarily suspending distribution of its Sprint Fidelis defibrillation leads because a small number of fractures have been detected. As a result of Medtronic's action, no more Sprint Fidelis leads will be sold or manufactured and any remaining product should be pulled from inventory and returned to the company. Patients who are implanted with this lead are encouraged to contact their physicians for further information.
Medtronic first notified physicians in March about the fracture rate at that time and the proper method for implantation. Additional data on adverse events accumulated since then has prompted today's action.
Implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) and Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy-Defibrillators (CRT-Ds) are used to treat abnormal heart rhythms that can cause the heart to stop suddenly. ICDs and CRT-Ds shock the heart back into normal rhythm by sending a pulse of energy through an electronic wire or lead that is connected to the heart.

For more information on this subject, please refer to the section on Medical Devices and Implants.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Jennifer Moore

Join Class Action Against Medtronic for Faulty Defribilator Lead Wires

Jennifer Moore — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 21:48:57 GMT

Are you a heart patient that was implanted with a defective defibrillator lead? You may need to consult an attorney. The attorneys at Grossman & Moore have already filed suit against Medtronic on behalf of a Kentucky resident who suffered from shocks due to the defective Sprint Fidelis lead.
Class actions are currently pending and you may qualify to be a member of the class. Grossman & Moore currently represent a Kentucky resident and work with national counsel from the firm of Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein that is handling class actions.

Each plaintiff received a cardiac pacemaker/defibrillator combination that was attached to their hearts with a lead wire system manufactured by Medtronic and sold under the brand name Sprint Fidelis. Due to the defect, patients may receive massive, unnecessary electrical shocks or the device may fail to function during a life-threatening cardiac event.

For more information on this subject, please refer to the section on Drugs, Medical Devices, and Implants.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Jennifer Moore

Grossman & Moore Filed Lawsuit Against Medtronic For Faulty Defibrillator

Jennifer Moore — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 21:49:49 GMT

Today, Grossman & Moore filed a personal injury lawsuit on behalf of a Kentucky resident against Medtronic, Inc. for faulty defibrillator lead wire that caused devastating electrical shocks. The lawsuit, filed in Minnesota state court where Medtronic is based, seeks damages for the physical pain and medical expenses Ms. Orange has incurred, as well as compensation for Ms. Orange's future medical care and expenses due to the defective Medtronic device. Grossman & Moore filed the suit along with the firm of Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP. Recently, on October 15, 2007, due to reports of adverse events and at least five patient deaths with defibrillator leads sold under the brand name Sprint Fidelis, Medtronic issued a recall of the product.

On August 12, 2007, the Sprint Fidelis lead, the wiring that connected her defibrillator to her heart, failed, causing three devastating electrical shocks. Our client, Kimberly Orange from Bowling Green, was transported by ambulance from Bowling Green to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee, suffering two additional shocks the same day. The failure of the Sprint Fidelis lead forced Ms. Orange to undergo complicated surgery on August 15, 2007, to remove the faulty device and implant a new lead system. The early explant and implant of a new lead system, as well as a new defibrillator, scarred her already fragile heart.

"I felt like I was being repeatedly shot or kicked in the chest by a horse," Ms. Orange stated. "The pain was intense and has the power to knock you down or out of a chair."

Ms. Orange's life has been substantially affected by the incident. Ms. Orange's physician instructed her to take off work. "You fear that you have a ticking time bomb inside your body that could unexpectedly explode or be triggered by a quick movement or vibration," Ms. Orange explained. "Exertion such as bending over to make a bed, mowing the lawn and other everyday tasks have become frightening experiences."

If you would like to learn more about the Medtronic recall and your legal rights, please contact the attorneys at Grossman & Moore.

Patients that have had to undergo surgery to replace a faulty lead or have been advised by a physician that their lead may be defective are also welcome to call counsel at 502-657-7100.

For more information on this subject, please refer to the section on Medical Devices and Implants.
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Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Jennifer Moore

Kroger Recalls Light Caesar Salad Dressing

Jenny Albano — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 19:04:07 GMT

The Kroger Co. is recalling 16 oz. light caesar salad dressing because the back label of the bottle was mislabeled with a Light Asian Salad Dressing label. This label does not include milk, egg, and anchovies in the ingredient statement or allergen contains statement. If a customer consumes this dressing and is allergic to any of these ingredients he or she may have serious adverse side effects.

The Kroger's salad dressing that is being recalled has a Sell By date of May 09 08, a code of SA7221 and a UPC number: 0 11110-71765 8 listed on the back label.

So far no illnesses have been reported due to the mislabeling. The problem with the mislabeling was found at three Fry's stores in the Phoenix area. The Company is investigating the problem and plans to improve labeling procedures to prevent future incidents.

The salad dressing may have been distributed to Kroger, Dillons, Food 4 Less (Chicago area only), Jay C, Smith's, Fry's, King Soopers, and City Market grocery stores. No other Kroger-brand salad dressings are affected by this recall.

For more information on this subject, please refer to our section on Defective and Dangerous Products.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Jenny Albano

Faulty Medtronic Defibrillator

Jennifer Moore — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 17:52:54 GMT

A faulty component in a Meditronic defibrillator may have caused five deaths and malfunctioned in thousands of individuals. Meditronic is one of the nation's largest manufacturers of implanted heart devices. The defibrillator is used to shock the faltering heart back into normal rhythm. Meditronic issued a warning yesterday to doctors that the electric "lead, " known as the Sprint Fidelis, in its defibrillators may malfunction sending an electric jolt or may fail to work altogether.

The faulty component is an electrical "lead," or a wire that connects the heart to a defibrillator, a device that shocks faltering hearts back into normal rhythm. The company is urging all of the roughly 235,000 patients with the lead, known as the Sprint Fidelis, to see their doctors to make sure it has not developed a fracture that can cause the device to misread heart-rhythm data.
Such a malfunction can cause the device to either deliver an unnecessary electrical jolt or fail to provide a life-saving one to a patient in need. In most cases, the defibrillators can be reprogrammed without surgery to minimize the likelihood of faulty shocks.

Meditronic has recalled all Fidelis leads that have not been implanted yet and have stopped all sales.

If you have a Meditronic defibrillator, you should consult your physician immediately.

Additionally, our attorneys at Grossman & Moore are already representing individuals who have suffered serious injury due to Meditronic's defillbrator malfunctioning. Contact us today if this has happened to you.

For more information on this subject, please refer to the section on Drugs, Medical Devices, and Implants.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Jennifer Moore

Is our food safe?

Jennifer Moore — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 14:49:59 GMT

Officials from the Food and Drug Administration came under heat yesterday during testimony before Congress over concerns of food safety. House members expressed doubts over the food-safety procedures at the FDA, especially given the recent scares involving tainted food, as well as other imported products such as toothpaste and tires. Because more and more food is being imported from countries such as China, the FDA needs to increase its efforts to make sure imported food is safe for consumers.

Acknowledging the challenge it faces, the FDA said it is working on a plan to improve its system of ensuring food safety. The FDA must change "rapidly and radically" to keep up with the increasing amount of imported food, Commissioner Andrew C. von Eschenbach told the subcommittee.
With concern mounting because of recent incidents involving not only tainted food but also toothpaste, tires and other products from China, a White House official said the administration is forming a panel on import safety to be chaired by Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt that will include other Cabinet officers.
...
The FDA inspects less than 1 percent of the imported food it is responsible for monitoring -- including seafood, fruits and vegetables -- and only a small fraction of those inspections include taking samples of products for testing, subcommittee investigators found. In San Francisco, FDA employees who review hundreds of shipments a day have an average of 30 seconds to decide whether each needs further investigation, according to subcommittee investigators.

Hopefully, Congress will provide the necessary budget to the FDA to make sure our food is safe for all consumers.

For more information on this subject matter, please check our section on Defective and Dangerous Products.http://www.injuryboard.com/view.cfm/Topic=30

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Jennifer Moore