Guidant Ancure Stent Graft - Minneapolis, Minnesota - Wisconsin

In 1999, Guidant, a medical supply corporation, garnered FDA approval to market the Ancure ® Endograft system. This system is what is known as a "stent graft" used to treat abdominal aortic aneurysms or AAA. An AAA is characterized by a thinning of the walls of the aorta in the region of the abdomen. The aorta is a very large artery that serves as the blood pipeline from the heart to the lower body. When the walls of this high-pressure blood vessel thin, as a result of disease, the aorta can collapse in places, starving blood flow and causing high blood pressure behind the blockage. This can lead to a ballooning of the aorta and possibly cause it to burst. If the aorta bursts, rapid blood loss occurs and a potentially fatal situation is quickly at hand.

Complications with the product surfaced when surgeons attempted to replace the stent graft. Once placed, surgeons had problems removing the delivery system for the device. The catheter used to replace the implant would become lodged in the patient and often the surgeon would have to literally break the handle from the catheter in order to remove it from the patient's body. In some cases, it is reported that a Guidant salesperson with no medical training, would talk the surgeon through an emergency removal procedure of the product. Many of these emergency removals were unsuccessful and emergency open-abdominal or open-heart surgery resulted. 12 deaths have been reported from the malfunction of the Guidant Ancure stent graft. Approximately 18,000 people received the implants.

Though these malfunctions were supposed to be reported to the FDA, they were covered up. More than 2,600 incidences of Guidant Ancure stent graft malfunctions were not filed. The FDA caught wind of the massive problem when an anonymous group of Guidant employees sent the FDA a letter announcing their concerns regarding the defective and potentially fatal system. The product's sales were briefly suspended and then it was put back on the market with instructions on how to remove the catheter should it become lodged in a patient's body.

Later, federal charges were brought against the company that produced the Guidant Ancure stent graft. The company pleaded guilty to charges that they covered up serious malfunctions with their Ancure stent graft system. Sales of the product were halted in October, 2001.

Many people have been affected by the irresponsibility of the people who manufactured and marketed the Guidant Ancure stent graft system. If you feel you have reason to file a stent graft lawsuit in Minneapolis, Minnesota or in Wisconsin please don't hesitate to call John Murrin, Guidant Ancure stent graft recall lawyer in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and Wisconsin.

This is a very serious issue, requiring thorough knowledge of defective product liability law and experience with class action lawsuits. John Murrin understands the issues surrounding the Guidant Ancure stent graft in Minnesota and Wisconsin. He use all of his skill and experience to make sure you get the just compensation you deserve through a lawsuit if you have suffered injury from a stent graft in Minneapolis, Minnesota, or Wisconsin.

Contact Minneapolis Guidant recall lawyer, John Murrin today for more help with a Guidant Ancure stent graft lawsuit in Minnesota or Wisconsin.