Associated Press, "More defibrillators, pacemakers recalled"

          Boston Scientific Corp. on Monday said it is recalling some defibrillator and pacemaker models that could fail because of an electrical flaw. The recall is the latest in a string of product problems Boston Scientific inherited when it bought Guidant Corp. in April for $27 billion.
          Boston Scientific said it was asking its sales force and managers of hospital inventories to return some units of six models of defibrillators and pacemakers that have potentially faulty low-voltage capacitors, which are used to store electrical charges.
          The Natick-based company did not specify how many units were being returned, saying the recall involved a "subset" of certain models of devices that are designed to maintain a steady heart rhythm. About 27,000 devices that could have the problem had already been surgically implanted in patients.
          Boston Scientific spokesman Paul Donovan said a letter the company sent to doctors did not recommend surgeries to remove potentially faulty devices.
The company was advising doctors to check for signs of a malfunctioning capacitor, such as prematurely dead batteries or a device that stops working as intended to restore a normal heart rhythm.
          The affected devices all were manufactured by Indianapolis-based Guidant, which Boston Scientific acquired April 21. Devices affected include Insignia and Nexus brand pacemakers, Contak Renewal TR/TR2 cardiac resynchronization pacemakers, and Ventak Prizm 2, Vitality, and Vitality 2 cardioverter defibrillators.
          Boston Scientific said the capacitor that triggered the recall came from an outside supplier. Of the 27,000 implanted devices that may have the flaw, problems have turned up in five patients, Boston Scientific said. None involved deaths, but in two cases pacemaker patients temporarily became unconscious.