St. Jude Medical Riata Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator ICD Leads – Premature Insulation Failure

ISSUE: The Food and Drug Administration FDA is providing information and recommendations regarding safety concerns with the recalled Riata leads. These leads have an increased risk of premature insulation failure that can impact the lead’s ability to function properly.

 

According to St. Jude Medical, as of 2011, approximately 79,000 Riata leads remained implanted in patients in the United States.

via Safety Alerts for Human Medical Products > St. Jude Medical Riata Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator ICD Leads: Safety Communication – Premature Insulation Failure.

Bear this in mind when you’re underwriting pacemaker cases.

Kidney Disease = Possible Risk for MI

In a large cohort study, patients with only CKD had a significantly higher rate of myocardial infarction (MI) than those who only had diabetes (5.4 versus 6.9 per 1,000 person-years, P

Those who’d already had an MI had the highest overall rate of MI (18.5 per 1,000 person-years), they reported online in The Lancet.

via Medical News: Kidney Disease May Point to Risk for MI – in Cardiovascular, Myocardial Infarction from MedPage Today.