Guidant Corp. issued recalls or safety advisories for almost 170,000 of its top-selling pacemakers on Thursday following a two-week federal inspection of its cardiac unit. Indianapolis-based Guidant has recalled or issued warnings about 88,000 heart defibrillators -- including its leading seller, the Contak Renewal 3 -- and almost 200,000 pacemakers because of reported malfunctions. Pacemakers use mild electrical current to speed a slow heartbeat. Defibrillators use a bigger jolt to correct life-threatening irregular heartbeats. Surgery to remove and replace the devices is risky.
The latest advisory is the fifth in three months by the nation's second-largest cardiac-device maker and has renewed questions over its reporting of potential problems and a planned $25.4 billion acquisition by New Jersey-based Johnson & Johnson. Some 80 percent of Guidant's heart products are now under recall (as of February 2005) or an advisory. (Top Stories)
