What is The Medtronic HeartWare HVAD System?
The Medtronic HeartWare HVAD System is a left ventricular assist device or “LVAD” used to treat patients who are awaiting a heart transplant (bridge-to-transplant) and patients who are in end-stage heart failure and not eligible for or are too sick to receive a heart transplant (destination therapy). The HeartWare system includes a mechanical pump implanted in the space around the heart (pericardium), a controller that controls the speed and function of the pump, a tube inserted into the heart to drain the blood, and a tube inserted in the aorta for the blood that is being pumped. The controller remains outside the patient’s body and is connected to the pump by a flexible tube that passes through the patient’s skin. The controller is powered either by batteries or a power supply that can be connected to a standard electrical power outlet.
What is Happening with Medtronic HeartWare System?
In December 2020 and May 2021, Medtronic issued Urgent Medical Device Communications to healthcare providers warning that a certain subset of its HeartWare pumps could fail to initially start, fail to restart after stopping, or experience a delay in restarting, which could result in cardiac arrest, reoperation, and patient death.
On June 3, 2021 the FDA issued a letter to healthcare providers advising that Medtronic had decided to stop the sale and distribution of the HeartWare system because of an “increased risk of neurological adverse events and mortality associated with the internal pump.” Specifically, the FDA said that there is a potential for the internal pump to stop, and if the pump should stop, it may delay restarting or fail to restart at all. Medtronic reported that there were more than 100 complaints involving a delay or failure of the HeartWare pump to restart, which led to 14 deaths and 13 pump removals. Because the potential for serious injury or death, health care providers were told that they should no longer implant the Medtronic HeartWare system in patients.
In April 2022, Medtronic issued an Urgent Medical Device Correction advising healthcare providers about complaints of pump thrombosis (blood clot within the pump) caused by a welding defect that allows moisture into the pump after implantation and cause corrosion. In May 2022, Medtronic issued an Urgent Medical Device Recall of certain HeartWare batteries after determining that a welding defect could cause the batteries to malfunction and no longer provide power to the internal pump. In June 2022, Medtronic issued yet another Urgent Medical Device Correction with further information about the welding defect, and new information about an interaction between the battery software and the battery circuit board that could cause electrical faults within the batteries.
When you hire an attorney from Meshbesher & Spence, you will not pay any attorney fees until you receive compensation. In the event that you do not recover compensation for your injuries, you owe us nothing. This kind of pay structure is called a “contingent fee agreement”.
The attorneys of Meshbesher & Spence have been representing families in crisis for over 50 years. Ron Meshbesher established his Minneapolis legal practice in 1961 with a skilled staff dedicated to preserving and defending the welfare of individuals and families. Our highly skilled litigators specialize in personal injury, class action, and civil litigation. The experienced lawyers at Meshbesher & Spence will help you seek compensation for your injuries.
