High Recall Rate For Automated Defibrillators

M. Brandon Smith

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According to a recent article by the Journal of the American Medical Association, many patients utilizing automated external defibrillators are largely unaware of the high recall rates associated with these products. An automated external defibrillator, or AED as it is commonly referred to, works by giving the heart a controlled electric shock, forcing all the heart muscles to contract at once, and, hopefully jolting it back into a regular rhythm.

According to wsbtv.com:

Maisel reviewed device recalls from 1996 to 2005.

"The chances that your AED would be recalled in any given year was one in twenty. The chances that your AED would be recalled during the entire 10-year study period was one in five," he said.

He said that's a high rate. And he also found that there were 370 fatal malfunctions from the 775,000 AEDs in circulation.

"The number of malfunctions pales in comparison to the number of lives that have been saved by these important devices over the past decade," he said.

But he added that a better notification system is needed.

Those who have suffered injuries due to automated external defibrillators that was subsequently recalled may have a cause of action against the manufacture who supplied the AED. Click here to speak with a Personal Injury Attorney about your case today.