What would you do if a large hospital mistakenly put the wrong defib/pacemaker into the chest cavity of somone

Question

My husband was supposed to have a Medtronic defib/pacemaker put into his chest but the hospital put a Gudiant defib/pacemaker into him. We are still very angry about this!

Answer 1

Talk to the doctor - see if you are satisfied with his explanation. If you aren't, consult an attorney.

Answer 2

I gather that the device isn't the "wrong" device (one not suitable for your condition) rather it is not the brand of your preference. I understand your preference but Gudiant is a solid company and the risk to your husband is objectively very small - and indistinguishable from a Medtronic device - they could have a recall tomorrow.



Gudiant did have some recalls in the past and replaced the units after it had a seal that potentially could fail. They paid the hospital bills and the cost of the unit for all the patients affected.



As mentioned above in order to file a malpractice suit you have to have care rendered that was below community standard and have sustained injury/damage resulting from that substandard care. You are not injured.



You may want to find out how your wishes were not conveyed or what exactly happened that a different brand was used (it may be a very good reason). If you are not satisfied why your wishes were not acknowledged you may be better off with a differenct cardiologist/EP specialist.

Answer 3

Everyone is asking you to sue, but remember in order to win a medical malpractice case, you need to sustain harm first. Potential harm is not enough...so talk to the doctors and find out what happened. Like someone said here already, most Guidant pacemakers are working just fine...In the worst case scenraio you could have it replaced prophylactically, but I would not do that...

Answer 4

Ask to have the surgeon call you, or make an app't with him. Maybe the type he has is better for his condition. Not all Guidant ones are defective.

Answer 5

Talk to a malpractice attorney. They will tell you if your case is winnable.

Answer 6

find out why they did this and then sue if your not happy with the explanation

Answer 7

Sue.