Field Safety Notices about DBS Lead Depth Stop

According to Agency for Medicinal Products and Medical Devices of the Republic of Slovenia (via FOI), this field safety notices involved a device in Slovenia that was produced by Medtronic.

What is this?

Field safety notices are communications sent out by medical device manufacturers or their representatives in relation to actions that they may be taking in relation to their product that is on the market. These are mainly for health workers, but also for users. They can include recalls and alerts.

Learn more about the data here
  • Type of Event
    Field Safety Notice
  • Event Country
  • Event Source
    AMPMDRS
  • Notes / Alerts
    Data from Slovenia is current through February 2019. All of the data comes from the Agency for Medicinal Products and Medical Devices of the Republic of Slovenia (via FOI), except for the categories Manufacturer Parent Company and Product Classification.
    The Parent Company and the Product Classification were added by ICIJ.
    The parent company information is based on 2017 public records. The device classification information comes from FDA’s Product Classification by Review Panel, based on matches of recall data from the U.S. and Slovenia.
  • Extra notes in the data
  • Reason
    The purpose of this letter is to provide you important safety information regarding the use of the depth stop accessory provided in all medtronic deep brain stimulation (dbs) lead kits. the medtronic dbs depth stop, otherwise referred to as the lead holder, is used to establish the implant depth. the depth stop interfaces with parts of the stereotactic system used during surgery to control placement of the dbs lead tip to the target location. this letter provides information regarding a product performance issue that has been identified with this component, potential risk to patients, and actions to take regarding use of the medtronic depth stop. if you do not use the medtronic depth stop (for example, if you only use the fhc, alpha omega, or nexdrive depth stop), you are not affected and no actions are needed. .

Device

Manufacturer

  • Manufacturer Parent Company (2017)
  • Manufacturer comment
    “If our surveillance systems identify a potential performance issue, our personnel promptly evaluate the problem, including, when appropriate, conducting root cause investigations and internal testing to assess whether the product continues to meet specifications and defined performance criteria,” Medtronic told ICIJ in a statement. “In some cases, based on this evaluation, Medtronic may determine that a recall is necessary.” The company said that it communicates with healthcare providers and/or patients and provide recommendations to address such issues. Medtronic noted that these communications can include letters, emails, calls, press releases, physician notifications and social media postings, as well as informing the FDA and other regulators of the actions.
  • Source
    AMPMDRS