Heart device maker recalls implant after five deaths

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USA Today, October 27, 2008

Medical device maker Thoratec Corp. has ordered the recall of certain batches of a small mechanical heart pump, saying five people have died while using the device. Thoratec urged patients to have their implants checked after confirming 27 reports of cases in which wear and fatigue to an electrical wire required the devices to be replaced, the company said in a statement. The reports occurred over five years of clinical experience with 1,972 implants. In five cases, the device could not be replaced and the patients died.

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