Defibrillator Issues

Defibrillators can save lives but when these devices fail, they could cause injury or death for heart patients.

Normal Operation

• A defibrillator is a device that uses electricity to jolt a malfunctioning heart muscle back into normal rhythm. External defibrillators apply the jolt through paddles, while implantable units run an electrical lead directly to the heart.

Electrical Lead Wire

• If the lead wire that delivers the life-saving electrical impulse breaks, it may fail to respond in a crisis or deliver an unnecessary shock, according to the Medtronic Recall Info website.

Maintenance Errors

• A report published in "The Journal of the American Medical Association" (JAMA) found that, while some failures are due to malfunction, errors in operator use and defibrillator care and maintenance account for the high proportion of defibrillator failures.

Training and Proper Use

• In addition to maintenance issues, the JAMA study reported that operators may receive poor training in using the defibrillator and fail to perform daily equipment checks. Many defibrillators and batteries are kept in service beyond their expected useful life.

Recalls

• Companies that manufacture faulty defibrillators face massive, expensive recalls. The Medtronic Recall Information website reports that Medtronic had to recall every defibrillator containing a Sprint Fidelis lead wire after the faulty component caused 599 known injuries in 2007.