Time is Running out for Certain St. Jude Implantable Defibrillators

Several hundred thousand Implantable Cardioverter and Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy Defibrillators manufactured by St. Jude have been implanted in people worldwide that, when necessary, deliver life-saving pulses to reestablish normal heart rhythms. However, the medical company recently issued a warning about the battery life of the devices, citing “lithium clusters” inside the batteries cause the batteries to short-circuit and quickly deplete—some, within 24 hours of the patient receiving a low-battery alert. The lithium battery defect was first discovered two years ago in December 2014 when researchers out of Duke University Medical Center found that the lithium build-up “is a novel mechanism of premature battery failure.” Patients that experience a vibratory alert indicating the defibrillator battery life is near its end should contact their physician immediately.

If you or a loved one received a St. Jude Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator or a Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy Defibrillator implant, please contact us.