Lopez Hodes Restaino Milman

Guidant came under fire in the spring of 2005 after The New York Times reported that it failed to alert physicians and heart patients about a potential problem with the VENTAK PRIZM DR model defibrillator. Since then, Guidant has admitted to knowing of malfunctions in its ICDs for three years now but continued to sell the defective ICDs and allowed them to be surgically implanted in patients - knowing patients were at risk for severe failures that obviously could lead to severe complications including death.