Medtronic, Inc. Implanted Drug Pump Gets a Second Class I Recall

Medtronic Inc.'s (NYSE:MDT) urgent update last month turned into a second class I recall for its SynchroMed II implantable drug infusion pumps over reports that the devices may have defective batteries that can lead to sudden failure. The SynchroMed system includes an implanted catheter and pump infusion system that stores and delivers medication to a specific site. There are about 140,000 pumps in use worldwide. Mid-July the Minneapolis, Minn.-based medical device giant issued an urgent warning that there had been 55 confirmed cases of battery defects resulting in device failure as of May 32, 2011. All but one report related to pumps with batteries manufactured prior to March 17, 2005.