defibrillators

Medical device maker Guidant continued to defend itself from criticism of its decision to keep a discontinued defibrillator on the market, even after it learned of a design problem affecting the device. The company is arguing that the Ventak Prizm is perfectly safe and that it made changes to its design simply to err on the side of caution. According to one estimate, the defibrillator is implanted in about 20,000 patients. Wall Street has shrugged off the charges, with the company's stock …

> The FDA held meetings with Guidant executives to discuss problems with one of the company's defibrillator lines. The company's stock held steady as investors kept their chins up. Story

> Chutes & Ladders: The executive director of New York City's Bellevue Hospital was let go after allegations he accepted an …

A developing story looks as though it has the potential to make life unpleasant for medical device manufacturer Guidant. There is word that a defibrillator the company makes has short circuited in some cases, leading to the death of at least one patient, a 21-year-old from Minnesota. The New York Times reports that the company put out an advisory to doctors yesterday warning on the Ventak Prizm Model 1861. The newspaper reports that the company knew about the problem at least …