Allina cardiologist's study links St. Jude heart wires to 20-plus deaths

[Bloomberg Businessweek, March 29, 2012] Defective wires made by St. Jude Medical Inc. to connect heart-shocking defibrillators caused at least 20 patient deaths due to short circuiting, according to an article published in a leading cardiology journal.

Dr. Robert Hauser of the Minneapolis Heart Institute at Abbott Northwestern Hospital analyzed a database of reported device malfunctions, linking St. Jude's Riata and Riata ST wires to 22 deaths. St. Jude stopped selling the devices in December 2010 due to safety concerns, but more than 79,000 people in the U.S. and 49,000 abroad still have the implants.