On August 5, 2004, Boston Scientific Corporation announced
the third in a series of Recalls
of its Taxus Stents, which are drug-coated wire mesh devices placed in
the arteries of patients whose arteries have become blocked by deposits
of fat.
If you or a family member sustained serious injury or
even death during the surgical implantation of this stent you may be entitled
to file a claim against the manufacturer for money damages.
Tens of thousands of stents have now been recalled since early July of
2004. Not long after these devices began to be sold in the United States,
Boston Scientific began to receive complaints that tiny balloons that
are used to expand the artery for placement of the stent were not properly
deflating during the operation. This can result in a fairly straightforward
procedure becoming deadly to the patient, or resulting in serious physical
injury. The Boston Globe has reported that this potential manufacturing
defect has so far been linked to three deaths and 47 serious injuries.
Patients who have already received implanted stents of
this type through a successful operation are not affected by the recall
because the problem arises only during the surgery during which the stent
is implanted.
Initially, Boston Scientific attributed the problem to
the insertion techniques of doctors, however, they discovered a problem
with the delivery system itself and recalled 200 stents. After the defective
stent recall, Boston Scientific expanded the stent recall to over 80,000
stents possibly affected by the problem.
Meanwhile, several cardiologists and hospitals have suspended
use of the Taxus stent but as mentioned earlier there is no reason to
be concerned if you already have received a Taxus stent. The problem here
has been with the placement of the stent, not with the stent itself. Once
successfully deployed, the Taxus stent functions as designed.
Stenting is a catheter-based procedure in which a small,
expandable wire mesh tube (stent) is inserted into a diseased artery,
serving as a scaffold to hold it open. Stents are placed within a coronary
artery plaque and then are expanded against the plaque by blowing up a
balloon. Once the stent has been expanded in order to compress the plaque
and hold it into place, the balloon is then deflated and the catheter
is removed. In some patients receiving the Taxus stent, doctors have been
unable to deflate the balloon after expanding the stent resulting in these
patients requiring emergency bypass surgery.
As with any medical procedure there are potential risks
with the Taxus stent. To read more about the potential risks associated
with stents, Taxus Stents, Artery Stents, Coronary Stents, and Heart
Stents Click Here.
The Rasansky Law Firm has extensive experience in representing
victims of defective products, medical malpractice, and other personal
injuries. We are now currently reviewing and accepting cases involving
stents, specifically the Taxus Stent. Contact
Us immediately via our online form or call us toll free at 1.800.ATTORNEY.
