Our attorneys have represented patients and their families nationwide in product liability and medical malpractice cases involving defective Medtronic Sprint Fideles defibrillator leads. Patients died during surgery to remove the defective Medtronic lead.
Our law firm is available to actively investigating possible claims of medical malpractice in the surgical removal of leads for implantable cardiac devices (ICDs) such as pacemakers and defibrillators. In addition to Medtronic, St. Judes and Boston Scientific also manufacture ICD leads.
ICD Heart Lead Extraction Surgery Malpractice: Compensation for Patients and Their Families
ICD lead extraction surgery malpractice cases may include the following1:
- Removal of Medtronic Sprint Fidelis defibrillator lead or other Sprint lead, including the Sprint Quattro
- Removal of St. Jude ICD Leads
- Durata Defibrillator Lead
- Riata Defibrillator Lead
- SPL Lead
- TVL Lead
- Removal of Boston Scientific Dextrus Pacing Lead
Patients who have been seriously injured during or as a result of this surgery may have a claim for the following:
- Medical expenses (past and future)
- Past earnings
- Future earning capacity
- Cost of care
- Pain and suffering (past and future)
- Physical pain
- Suffering
- Disability
- Emotional distress
Each state has different laws about the type of losses for which wrongful death compensation is allowed. If your loved one died during or as a result of lead extraction surgery, you and other family members may have a claim for the following:
- Lost income: The amount the decedent would have provided his loved ones
- Loss of advice, care, comfort and companionship
- Funeral expenses
- Medical expenses
Some states also allow money damages for the pain and suffering of the deceased person prior to death.
When is Heart Lead Removal Medical Negligence?
It is a frequent occurrence for leads to eventually wear out or fail. Removal of an old lead is a very difficult and challenging procedure because the lead may have become overgrown with fibrous tissue and therefore stuck inside a major blood vessel.
Due to the complexity of lead extraction, it is important that a physician be well trained. The Heart Rhythm Society, a group representing doctors who implant heart devices, plans to issue guidelines about removals later this year. The Society is expected to urge doctors to perform at least 30 removals under the supervision of an experienced surgeon before operating solo. This is because there is a very long and difficult “learning curve” for the removal of these devices which is often done with laser. This is known as “laser lead extraction.”
Do You Have a Medical Malpractice Claim?
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Notes:
1. Referrences to the Medtronic, St. Jude and Boston Scientific heart leads is not meant to infer or in any way suggest that these leads are defective or dangerous. The claims discussed here are not for product liability against the manufacturer, but are for medical malpractice against the surgeon and hospital.
