There are few organs in the body more important than the heart. As such, it is particularly important that any medical procedures involving the heart are performed with the utmost skill and care. When medical professionals fail to take reasonable precautions during any heart surgery, they may be liable for resulting injuries.

Pacemaker implantation is one of the most common medical procedures involving the heart.

When a pacemaker is defective or improperly implanted in a patient, the results can be deadly. A pacemaker is a small electronic device that is implanted in a patient’s chest to regulate the heartbeat. These tiny devices monitor the heart to determine if it is beating too slowly or too rapidly, and use electrical conduction to force the heartbeat back to a safe pattern.

Unfortunately, pacemaker implantation is not without its risks. In addition to the surgical risk of excessive bleeding or infection, improper implantation can lead to a condition called pneumothorax, through which air becomes trapped between the lung and chest wall. But surgical errors are not the only risk faced by pacemaker patients. If the implantation is done perfectly but the pacemaker itself is defective, the outcome could be equally devastating.

At the Montero Law Center, we believe that manufacturers of defective medical products should be held accountable for their negligence. Unfortunately, defects in pacemakers and other devices involving the heart often lead to serious injury and death. And pacemaker manufacturers are no strangers to design and manufacturing defects. If a defective medical product injured you or a loved one, contact the Montero Law Center today at 954-767-6500 to determine your rights and options.

Pacemaker Defects

Last year, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) issued a Class I recall (the most serious) for Medtronic Cardiac Resynchronization with Defibrillation (CRT-Ds) and Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillators (ICDs), two types of pacemakers. FDA cited a manufacturing defect with the potential to prevent the device from providing the appropriate electrical shock, or from reviving a patient in cardiac arrest, both of which could be deadly.

Determining Liability

When a pacemaker fails, determining who to sue can be difficult. This is why it is so important to work with an attorney who has extensive experience dealing with cases involving pacemakers. There are two common situations where you may be able to sue for pacemaker failure. These are:

  • Defect in the device itself. The defect could have occurred during design, manufacturing, or both. Determining fault will be dependent on the point at which the defect occurred.
  • Improper implantation. If a doctor, nurse, or other medical professional was negligent in the implantation of your pacemaker, you may be able to sue for medical malpractice.

Contact the Montero Law Center Today

If you have been injured due to medical negligence, you may be able to obtain compensation for damages incurred. These may include but are not limited to: medical expenses, pain and suffering, lost wages (current and future), and transportation costs. If you have lost a loved one to medical negligence, you may be able to bring a wrongful death lawsuit against the responsible party or parties. Contact the Montero Law Center today at 954-767-6500 for a free and confidential consultation about your defective pacemaker case.