The St. Jude Medical Riata Defibrillator Lead has caused controversy recently after a scientific journal released reports that the defibrillator had malfunctioned causing perforation of patients’ hearts. For those who have a heart defibrillator or know someone with a heart defibrillator, specifically the St. Jude Medical Riata Defibrillator Lead, it is imperative that they seek medical help as well as legal council to receive compensation for damages done. While the St. Jude Medical Riata Defibrillator Lead has recently made headlines for lead wire malfunctions, it has not been recalled by the Federal Drug Administration nor St. Jude Medical. This makes it important for any individuals with a heart defibrillator or about to receive a heart defibrillator to know the associated risks and weigh the outcome prior to undergoing a surgical procedure. 

Functions of Heart Defibrillators

According to the American Heart Association, defibrillation is a process by which individuals with heart disease and other heart difficulties are implanted with an electronic device that provides the heart with an electric shock when an irregular heartbeat occurs. Individuals who are prone to heartbeat irregularity or heartbeat slowing are at risk for their heart stopping and eventually causing death. A defibrillator is usually placed next to a heart during a surgical procedure and if the heart begins to go into cardiac arrest or begins to have a dangerous arrhythmia, the device shocks the heart and reestablishes normal contraction rhythms. Individuals who are qualified candidates for heart defibrillation must understand that there are risks associated with the surgical procedure as well as the technology associated with a defibrillator.

A heart defibrillator is a lot like what some would consider a pacemaker, and some defibrillators are actually equipped with small pacemakers. A defibrillator, like the St. Jude Medical Defibrillator, can even perform the same functions as a pacemaker.

Types of Defibrillators

There is usually one main type of a heart defibrillator used in patients referred to as an implantable cardioverter defibrillator, (ICD), or an internal cardiac defibrillator but, the American Heart Association notes that smaller, portable defibrillators called automated external defibrillators, (AEDs), have also become available on the market recently. The St. Jude Medical Riata Defibrillator Lead is an internal defibrillator placed next to the heart in a surgical procedure. The St. Jude Medical Riata Defibrillator is comprised of a mini-computer within a titanium case. The mini-computer is powered by a battery that is, according to St. Jude Medical, “a capacitor, which helps the ICD to change and store enough energy to deliver therapy when required.

Who Is At Risk for Defibrillator Malfunction?

Unfortunately, there is no way of knowing who is at risk for a defibrillator malfunction. According to the Journal of Interventional Cardiac Electrophysiology, non-adequate arrhythmia detection and delivery of electrical therapy in an ICD is still a problem with the current technology. It is important to know if you or a loved one is at risk for the St. Jude Medical Riata Defibrillator Lead malfunction. If you or anyone you know has undergone a procedure to receive this defibrillator, it is advisable that you contact a law firm or attorney experienced in defibrillator malfunction lawsuits. It is especially important to contact a lawyer who is knowledgeable of the details of the St. Jude Medical Defibrillator Lead malfunction case. A lawyer will be able to advise you or your loved one on what steps to take to receive compensation in order to be reimbursed on any damages.

St. Jude Medical Riata Defibrillator Malfunctions

As explained previously, the heart defibrillator is surgically implanted into the chest, and a thin wire connects the defibrillator to the heart wall. The wire is what senses heart rhythm irregularity and sends the message back to the defibrillator to retrieve a shock. What has happened in the St. Jude Medical Riata Defibrillator Lead is that the wire has broken or become detached. This causes the defibrillator to be rendered useless, as the wire can no longer detect irregular heartbeat rhythms. It is more likely that cardiac arrest or even death will occur if the defibrillator malfunctions, as in the case of the St. Jude Medical Riata Defibrillator Leads have.

Another outcome that can occur when the heart is perforated by the wire, is that the heart can begin to bleed out and cause pressure buildup around the exterior of the heart. If this occurs, death is a very possible end result, which is why users of the St. Jude Medical Riata Defibrillator Lead, or any heart defibrillator, should seek medical attention as well as legal council to better prepare themselves for a worse-case scenario. It is better for those with a heart defibrillator to know the risks of malfunction than to risk death by ignorance.