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Defibrillator Blamed in Deaths

By Beth Janicek

Zoll Medical Corp. said recently that some of its defibrillators have defective batteries and software. The AED Plus external defibrillator, which is used in public settings such as airports, schools, and health clubs, failed to deliver a shock to two patients, leading to their deaths. The two deaths are among four reports received by Zoll in which a shock failed to be delivered to a patient.

According to Bloomberg.com, Zoll began asking customers on February 12 to download software which can be used to detect a potential defect in their defibrillator's battery. More than 180,000 defibrillators may be affected, with the greatest risk attributable to 80,000 units that have been installed for more than 3 years. The defects include batteries that do not work and self testing software that fails to detect malfunctioning batteries.

The free software updates designed to check the AED plus defibrillator can be downloaded at this website.

Every year between 250,000 and 450,000 Americans experience a sudden heart stoppage or cardiac arrest. Cardiac arrest is caused by rhythm disturbance or silent coronary artery disease. 95 percent of people who suffer a cardiac arrest die, but defibrillators are designed to deliver a shock to the person and thereby restore normal heart rhythm. Having quick access to a working defibrillator can be the difference between life and death. Hopefully, Zoll is doing everything they can to inform the public of this issue so that no more lives are lost.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Beth Janicek

Full post as published by San Antonio Personal Injury Lawyer on April 08, 2009 (boomark / email).