News tagged with 'Defibrillator'

Health clubs, schools, first responders, fire departments should all be aware of malfunctions reported in a defibrillator battery pack that is the subject of a most serious Class I recall by the FDA.

The FDA plans to increase misdemeanor prosecutions of executives in the pharmaceutical and food industry after a lax performance in that area.

Medtronic has received a warning letter from the FDA about problems at its Mounds View, Minnesota facility where heart implants are made. This is the latest in a long line of problems found with the company's medical devices.

The results of a new study suggests implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) are not effective in women.

What caused Michael Jackson’s apparent cardiac arrest won’t be known for weeks, but what is known is that only about one in five survive unless a defibrillator and CPR is used immediately.  More advanced emergency care involves lowering the body temperature to minimize brain damage.

The FDA is holding an urgent meeting to try and fix the medical device crisis that is putting millions of Americans in danger of defibrillators, hip joints, and spinal screws, among others. Both FDA insiders and a GAO report called for immediate attention and confirmed many devices are marketed without rigorous premarket approval.  Ironically, consumers lost their right to hold device makers accountable under the Riegel decision by the U.S. Supreme Court.

After more than 30 years, the FDA is pushing to require that manufacturers of 27 medical devices, used to replace hips or make hearts beat, prove they  are safe. 

Medtronic Sprint Fidelis Defibrillator Lead is implicated in more deaths than previously reported, admits the company.  That updated count was released after a federal judge dismissed about 700 cases against Medtronic citing the Riegel decision affirming federal preemption and a shield for device makers.

Lawmakers heard from those injured by medical devices in Washington, as a film and rally was held in support of the Medical Device Safety Act, currently before Congress. It would lift the shield devicemakers currently have from lawsuits. 

New published research shows that anger may go directly to your heart causing an arrhythmia, a malfunction in the impulses that send an electronic signal for your heart to beat.  Arrhythmia can cause congestive heart problems or increase the risk of stroke. Anger management is the key and can involve no or low-cost solutions without medication. 

A new study finds MP3 and iPod headphones may dangerously interact with implantable defibrillators and heart pacemakers. Researchers suggest patients with defibrillators and pacemakers not keep headphones in their shirt or coat pocket near the chest or around their neck when not in use.

Using the power of the heart beat, energy may be used to supplement the power needed for pacemakers and defibrillators, reducing or even eliminating the need to replace the batteries. Initial tests on a pig have been successful it's revealed at the American Heart Association's annual meeting.

The key to surviving sudden cardiac arrest is timely initiation of CPR, which can include a shock from an Automated External Defibrillator (AED). The editor of The Zapper believes a more timely application may have increased the chance of survival for newsman,Tim Russert. The American Heart Association offers training and says tens of thousands of lives could be saved if the public was trained in AEDs.

You see someone collapsed in an apparent cardiac crisis. Most people will stand there and gawk but fast-thinkers should not hesitate to jump in and give the person chest compressions, even if they aren’t trained professions, said the American Heart Association (AHA) on Monday

This is the largest study ever to look at just how effective our nation’s hospitals are at delivering care when heart abnormalities strike and minutes count. In at least one third of cases, care was delivered outside of the two minute recommended time.