Health News -- In an advisory letter sent to doctors worldwide, Medtronic, the world’s leading maker of heart rhythm devices, warned that nearly 37,000 Sigma and Kappa pacemakers manufactured primarily between November 2000 and November 2002 could have faulty wiring that could cause them to fail at a higher-than-expected rate. The defect is attributed to certain “voids” created in the solder joint where the wires are attached to the circuit board, which could lead to premature battery depletion, loss of rate response, loss of telemetry, or even no output. So far, the company has received two reports of death that may be linked to the defect.
