FDA Warns of Equipment

Short: FDA Warns of Malfunctioning Medical Equipment

Long: Faulty Components in Defibrillator Models May Not Properly Deliver Shock

The FDA today warned that faulty components may be found in defibrillators that were manufactured by the Cardiac Science Corp. out of Bothell, Wash.

Approximately 280,000 external defibrillators, used worldwide, may malfunction while attempting to save someone from cardiac arrest.

External defibrillators send an electric shock to the heart in an attempt to control normal heart rhythms when cardiac arrest occurs.

The defibrillators manufactured by the Cardiac Science Corp. may contain faulty components that cause the equipment to fail in properly delivering a shock.

Other problems with the equipment include a failure to recognize electrode pads, and an interference in background noise that disables the device from accurately reading heart rhythms.