Medical News Today -- A Chicago surgeon invented a silicone and metal ring to repair heart valves, and implanted them in 150 patients before his new device received FDA approval, The Wall Street Journal reports. The episode has fueled a feud between the surgeon, Dr. Patrick McCarthy, and a former collaborator who alleges he used those patients for “human experimentation.” It’s also exposed a potentially serious ambiguity in FDA regulations that allows device manufacturers to determine - without independent review - which of their new products require FDA approval and which don’t.
