Guidant Corporation (bought by Boston Scientific in January of 2006) is one of the leading makers and distributors of implantable cardioverter defibrillators (or ICDs) and devices for cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRTs for short). Information on defibrillator devices – specifically Guidant devices-- has become more extensive since several models of Guidant cardiac defibrillators, totaling 88,000 units, were recalled in June 2005 due to potential malfunctions. The defects among the various models have led to 45 reported malfunctions, including two deaths of patients with the affected devices. Some of the recalled defibrillators require new surgery to remove and fix or replace them. Other types can be fixed with reprogramming.

Lawsuits against the medical device manufacturer have already been filed, including one that may become a Guidant defibrillator class action lawsuit.

On August 1, 2005, a Guidant defibrillator (the Contak Renewal 3) received approval by the FDA to re-launch the product after the company replaced a switch component. On April 10, 2007, Guidant issued a new recall of 73,000 devices due to 19 incidences of premature battery depletion. At the time of the recall, no serious injuries or deaths were reported. The affected devices distributed in the US include the Contak Renewal 3 HE CRT-Ds (Models H177 and H179); Contak Renewal 3 CRT-Ds (Models H170 and H175); Vitality 2 DR ICDs (T165); Vitality 2 VR ICDs (T175); Vitality AVT ICDs (A155); Vitality DS DR ICDs (T125); and Vitality EL DR ICDs (T135). More Guidant defibrillator information is available in the questions that follow on this site.