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Medtronic Sprint Fidelis Defibrillator Leads

Motley Rice has been litigating cases involving Medtronic defibrillator patients who have suffered from injury or complications involving the Sprint Fidelis® lead component. A fracture in the Sprint Fidelis lead can cause the device to misread heart rhythms, sending unnecessary, painful shocks to patients or worse, the failure to provide a vital life-saving shock.

Contact Motley Rice 

Motley Rice's medical team has experience litigating against Medtronic. If you or someone you know has experienced adverse symptoms involving  the Sprint Fidelis lead component, contact attorney Fred Thompson by email or call 1.800.768.4026. Thompson serves on the Plaintiffs Steering Committee for the Sprint Fidelis federal multidistrict litigation.

Sprint Fidelis Lead Defect Announced

On October 14, 2007, Medtronic, Inc., announced a defect in the Sprint Fidelis lead component of its heart defibrillator. The company identified a potentially high rate of fracture of the Sprint Fidelis electrical wires, which can alter the device’s ability to accurately read heart rhythms. This defect may cause the device to misfire and shock the patient, or the device may fail to provide a critical life-saving shock to the patient. The New York Times reported that the defect in this electrical wire has resulted in hundreds of malfunctions and may have played a role in the death of five Medtronic defibrillator patients.

According to Medtronic, approximately 268,000 patients were implanted with a Sprint Fidelis lead as part of a Medtronic defibrillator since 2004. Affected models of the Sprint Fidelis defibrillator leads are:

  • Model 6930
  • Model 6931
  • Model 6948
  • Model 6949

As part of the warning, Medtronic estimated that approximately 4,000-5,000 people with the defective Sprint Fidelis lead would experience a lead fracture within 30 months of implantation. All patients who have received the Medtronic defibrillator since 2004 are urged to visit their doctor to check for potential fractures.

In conjunction with the announcement, Medtronic recommended that all doctors stop the use of Sprint Fidelis leads in patients using its defibrillators. In addition, Medtronic has suspended worldwide distribution and will recall all leads not in use. The Food and Drug Administration has endorsed the recall.