Riata Lead Lawsuit, Riata® Lead Lawyer

Claiming upwards of one million victims each year, heart disease is the largest killer in America and around 300,000 of these deaths are caused by a condition known as arrhythmia. According the American Heart Association, an arrhythmia refers to "any change from the normal sequence of electrical impulses, causing abnormal heart rhythms." The condition can cause the heart to pump less effectively, and, if it occurs for an extended period of time, may cause the heart rate to be too fast or too slow or the heart rhythm to be erratic.

When an arrhythmia is identified, the first line of defense/treatment is a defibrillator. More than 175,000 patients worldwide rely on an implantable defibrillator, which is essentially a small computer that tracks the electrical activity of the heart, and, if conditions warrant, delivers a strong electrical shot through an electrode extending through a vein inside of the heart.

While these devices, when functioning properly, save thousands of lives, the reliability and safety of devices from a few defibrillator producers have been called into question, the most recent being St. Jude's Riata® leads. A study, published in an early November 2007 issue of the journal of Pacing and Clinical Electrophysiology, highlighted the cases of four female patients who suffered a puncture hole in their hearts as a result of the company's defibrillator leads.

While heart defibrillator lead perforation is not a new occurrence, an editorial by Dr. Stephen Vlay accompanying the article states that "there is legitimate concern that the problem may be more than physician misadventure and that there may be an inherent design flaw in some of the models of the Riata lead," and noted that several hospitals have stopped using the device. The FDA database for medical device-related injuries and deaths notes 15 incidents involving a perforation with a Riata® lead and one death, but many believe that an even greater number of incidents involving the Riata® lead go unreported.

If you or a loved one suffered injuries from a St. Jude Medical Inc. Riata® lead, as soon as you receive the medical attention you need, contact a Riata lead lawyer at Williams Kherkher today to schedule a free initial consultation. You have rights that need to be explored and in some cases enforced, so contact the firm today to get this process started.