FDA Recalls 23,000 Medtronic HVAD Batteries

A recent Cardiovascular Business article discussed the latest recall related to Medtronic’s HeartWare Ventricular Assist Device, aka HVAD, which is used for patients waiting to receive a heart transplant. This time, it’s the HVAD System’s batteries that are the cause of the recall. Apparently electrical faults can cause the batteries to stop working, and if the patient can’t replace it with a working battery or AC or DC power, they could experience serious injury or death. So far, Medtronic has received over 1,100 complaints, six injuries, and one death linked to the battery issue.