Associated Press, "Guidant defibrillator recall becomes more urgent"

          More than 20,600 Guidant Corp. cardiac defibrillators recalled last month have a malfunction that could cause serious injury or death, federal regulators said Friday in classifying the devices as the most urgent recall priority.
          The Food and Drug Administration is not urging the recalled defibrillators be removed but recommended patients contact their doctors to decide the appropriate next steps.
          Indianapolis-based Guidant, which has a $25.4 billion acquisition offer pending from New Brunswick, N.J.-based Johnson & Johnson, recalled a series of defibrillators last month. The new FDA action lists three models as Class I recalls, the most serious type -- a move that might help doctors in deciding how aggressively to notify and treat their patients.
          The FDA also said it was investigating how Guidant notified the agency and the public of the problem, said Timothy Ulatowski, the FDA's medical device compliance chief.
          Eleven types of defibrillators made by Guidant were the subject of safety warnings issued last month. About 87,600 defibrillators are implanted in patients worldwide.