Guidant National Class Action Commenced

A national class action has been launched on behalf of patients who have received defective defibrillators manufactured by Guidant Corporation. The Statement of Claim alleges that despite its knowledge that the device was defective, Guidant continued to market the defibrillators without disclosing the problem to medical professionals and patients. The defibrillator has been linked to a number of short-circuiting incidences, which have, in at least one case, resulted in the death of a patient in the United States. The Guidant defibrillator is a device used to control irregular heartbeats, rapid heartbeats and slow heartbeats. When the device detects an irregular rhythm it sends an electrical shock to the heart to restore normal heart rhythm. When the defibrillator short circuits, it is no longer able to detect the irregular heart rhythm.