Events

Recall of Device Recall HeartMate II System Controller

According to U.S. Food and Drug Administration, this recall involved a device in United States that was produced by Thoratec Corporation.

What is this?

A correction or removal action taken by a manufacturer to address a problem with a medical device. Recalls occur when a medical device is defective, when it could be a risk to health, or when it is both defective and a risk to health.

Learn more about the data here
  • Type of Event
    Recall
  • Event ID
    67639
  • Event Risk Class
    Class 1
  • Event Number
    Z-1228-2014
  • Event Initiated Date
    2014-03-04
  • Event Date Posted
    2014-03-21
  • Event Status
    Terminated
  • Event Country
    United States
  • Event Terminated Date
    2015-08-27
  • Event Source
    USFDA
  • Event Source URL
    https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfres/res.cfm?id=125888
  • Notes / Alerts
    U.S. data is current through June 2018. All of the data comes from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, except for the category Manufacturer Parent Company.
    The Parent Company was added by ICIJ.
    The parent company information is based on 2017 public records.
  • Extra notes in the data
    Ventricular (assisst) bypass - Product Code DSQ
  • Reason
    Discovery of serious injuries and deaths associated with the process of changing from a primary system controller to their back-up system controller in patients using the pocket system controller model.
  • Action
    Thoratec sent an Urgent Medical Device Correction letter dated March 4, 2014 to all affected customers. The letter was sent via e-mail. All distributors outside of the USA and Canada to whom affected product has been distributed have been notified of this field correction notice and have been provided copies of the Customer Letter to forward to their customers. The letter identified the affected product , problem and actions to be taken. Customers were requested to complete and sign the attached Acknowledgement Form and return it to Thoratec via fax (925-847-8571) or e-mail a scanned copy to customer.service@thoratec.com. For questions call 1-800-528-2577.

Device

Device Recall HeartMate II System Controller
  • Model / Serial
    Catalog number 106762 (NAm) 106017 - EU all serial numbers
  • Product Classification
    Cardiovascular Devices
  • Device Class
    3
  • Implanted device?
    Yes
  • Distribution
    Worldwide distribution: US (nationwide) including states of: AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DE, FL, GA, IA, IL, IN, KY, LA, MA, MD, MI, MN, MO, MS, NC, NE, NJ, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, SC, TN, TX, UT, VA, WA, and WI; and countries of: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Lebanon, Lithuania, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Turkey, and United Kingdom.
  • Product Description
    HeartMate II System Controller || Product Usage: HeartMate II is a mechanical device that circulates blood throughout the body when the heart is too weak to pump blood adequately on its own. It is sometimes called a a heart pump or VAD. HeartMate II is a small implantable LVAD. HeartMate II attaches to the heart and is designed to assist or take over the pumping function of the patients left ventricle, the main pumping chamber of the heart.
  • Manufacturer
    Thoratec Corporation

Manufacturer

Thoratec Corporation
  • Manufacturer Address
    Thoratec Corporation, 6035 Stoneridge Dr, Pleasanton CA 94588-3270
  • Manufacturer Parent Company (2017)
    Abbott Laboratories
  • Manufacturer comment
    “We are in constant communication with regulatory agencies and competent authorities worldwide which allows us to implement global recalls or in-country communication quickly and effectively,” Abbott, which now owns St. Jude Medical told ICIJ in a statement. In addition to sending global notices to physicians worldwide, we also make sure that product advisories are available online and classification of product recalls and product advisories are determined by global regulatory bodies which can impact the timing in any given country. MD companies follow varying regulations in different countries. In come countries software is not regulated so a recall in one country related to software would not be classified as a recall or field action in another. In addition, review cycles within the regulatory process can be different in each country which can impact communication and recall timing.
  • Source
    USFDA