The Guidant Corporation finally alerted physicians that it had nine "older pacemaker models (which) were prone to failing". The company, which is already in a controversy over earlier recalls of its units, said that some implanted units might need replacing. If you don't have one yet and work at your desktop PC or Mac instead of keeping it in your chest; you have no worries.
Guidant alerted doctors to the failure possibility in the 28,000 made from November, 1997 to October, 2000. That was a bad year to be dying of heart problems, obviously. In a capitalist world you should have had the foresight to get your pacemaker from a different company or at a different time. Shame!
The problem is "...that a component used to seal the pacemakers could degrade...causing the devices to fail. Such failure could cause 'serious health complications' in some patients." This problem follows Guidants recent recall of "tens of thousands of implantable heart defibrillators..."
I love medical euphemisms. I mention it because I have a second "pacing device" implanted and made by Guidant. It is a "bi-ventricular pacing device " and has a built-in defibrillator.
The euphemisms, however, often make me laugh — or something. In 1994, 2 days after a massive heart attack, my body (or a medical error) caused cardiac arrest. I was about to be transferred from intensive care and was sitting up eating a great-looking chef salad when I felt so badly even I knew it was time to ring the bell. It was one of the hardest things I had ever done — raising my hand high enough to bring it down on the old-fashioned bell.
Some time later, after some excitement that I was not on this planet to see, I looked up at an expectant team of six people and said "thanks". A joke seemed out of place and letting them know I was happier in the other realm would have negated their pride. I asked my nurse later, "What happened?" The reply: "Oh, we just lost your pulse for a while." Wow! Think of the things that can now be lost and found again.
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