What is the problem with the St. Jude Riata Defibrillator Lead?
The St. Jude Riata Leads are specific models of cardiac electrodes (thin wires) that connect an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) directly to the heart. ICDs are devices that protect patients when life-threatening heart rhythms occur. Reports emerged recently that St. Jude Riata Defibrillator Lead wires had perforated the hearts of some patients. The medicine journal “Heart Rhythm”, reported a perforation rate of 3.8% at Massachusetts General Hospital. New York Hospital Queens reported 5 out of 59 Riata leads had perforated the patient’s heart. One reported instance stated the wire had perforated the heart and almost the patient’s skin. Some hospitals have stopped using the Riata lead all together.
