Boston Scientific Receives Subpoena for Defibrillator Devices

 Posted on May 30,2014 in Defective Medical Devices

Boston Scientific (BSX) recently announced that it received a subpoena on May 5 from the Department of Health and Human Services. The subpoena asked the company for information about the performance of its implanted defibrillators. Defibrillator devices are used to shock racing hearts back into a normal rhythm during cardiac emergencies, some of which may injure patients.

The subpoena requested information from 2008, when Boston Scientific released two different types of implanted cardiac defibrillators. The documents also asked for information regarding the performance of these two devices when used between 2007 to 2009. The defibrillators are sold using the names Teligen and Cognis and are implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) and cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillators (CRT-Ds).

The Office of the Inspector General from the Department of Health and Human Services issued the subpoena. The office's duties include investigating waste and fraud in health programs of the government, including Medicaid and Medicare.

The announcement of the subpoena came just under a year following Boston Scientific's agreement to a settlement with the Department of Justice. Boston Scientific agreed to pay the Department of Justice $30 million to settle allegations that the unit named Guidant, which BSX acquired in 2006, consciously sold defective heart devices. The company said that it is cooperating with the request and the investigation of the Department of Health and Human Services.

The medical industry has been under heavy fire recently for allegations of using illegal incentives to secure market shares and increase the visibility of their products to the public. St. Jude Medical also announced that it is being investigated by the Department of Justice for reportedly paying health care providers so they use their medical devices during implants instead of devices from other manufacturers. St. Jude Medical is headquartered in Minnesota.

If your or a loved one has suffered injury or even death due to a malfunctioning implanted defibrillator, contact an Illinois medical device attorney today to discuss your case.