Shares in device maker Guidant stumbled slightly this morning as Wall Street heard that the medical device manufacturer had reported new problems affecting its popular defibrillator lines. The company is warning cardiologists that a design flaw, which it describes as "a possible degradation in the hermetic sealing component," may cause serious health risks to patients who have the devices. Some analysts think the news could put "additional pressure" on Johnson & Johnson's plans to acquire the Indianapolis-based device maker.
- see this story from The Wall Street Journal (sub. req.)