Dec 27, 2005

Heart Device's Export Blocked

The Food and Drug Administration has barred Guidant Corp., a maker of medical devices, from exporting heart-rhythm stabilizers made in its Minnesota plant because the company could not assure the public that its products were being properly made.

In a warning letter from the agency, the troubled company was also informed that it had to make significant improvements in its manufacturing practices before any additional company devices could be approved for sale.

Guidant said in its statement that it has "taken a broad, thorough and systemic review of its quality system and has made substantial steps toward addressing all" of the FDA's concerns. The company has fulfilled 90 percent of its upgrade commitments the statement said.

The intensive FDA inspection followed a series of recalls and warnings issued for Guidant's heart defibrillators and pacemakers because of reported malfunctions, some of them fatal. Federal and state officials are investigating the company, which faces dozens of lawsuits over its recalls.

After the inspection, FDA officials said that the company did not properly warn doctors about software problems that caused some pacemakers to malfunction, that company quality control was ineffective at several levels, and that record-keeping was poor.

Daniel      

Do You Read All Of Our Cancer Blogs?

Do you read all of the blogs published by medicineworld.org? Many of our bloggers are busy keeping you updated on the various health related topics. We publish the following blogs at this time.

Cancer blog: I manage the cancer blog with lots of help and support form other bloggers. Through this cancer blog my friends and I try to bring stories of hope for patients with cancer. The cancer blog often republishes important blog posts from other cancer related blogs at Medicineworld.org. If you are searching for a blog that covers wide variety of cancer topics, this may be the one for you.

Breast cancer blog: Breast cancer blog is run by Emily and other bloggers and they bring you the latest stories, news and events that are related to breast cancer. Increasing awareness about breast cancer among women and in the general population is the main goal of this breast cancer blog.

Lung cancer blog: Lung cancer blog is managed by Scott with the help of other bloggers. Through this blog Scott and his friends constantly remind the readers about the dangers of smoking. It's a never-ending struggle against this miserable disease with which a social stigma of smoking is associated.

Colon cancer blog: Colon cancer blog is run by Sue and other bloggers. Sue brings a personal touch to the colon cancer blog since her mother died of colon cancer few years ago. She writes about stories, research news and advances in treatment related to colon cancer.

Prostate cancer blog: Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among American men. American Cancer Society estimates that over 230,000 new cases of prostate cancer occur in the United state every year. This important blog about prostate cancer is run by Mark and other bloggers. This blog brings news, stories, and other personal observations related to prostate cancer.

Medicineworld.org publishes a diabetes watch blog and this blog is run by JoAnn other bloggers. This diabetes watch blog brings you the latest in the field of diabetes. This includes personal stories, advances in diagnosis and treatment, and other observations about diabetes. Improving awareness about diabetes is an important mission of this group.

Janet      

Heart disease
About 13 million Americans (about 7 percent of the total population) suffer from coronary artery disease. Coronary artery disease is the leading cause of death in American men and women amounting a staggering 20 percent of all causes of death. About half of all deaths related to cardiovascular diseases occur from coronary artery disease. Through this heart watch blog we will have our humble contribution towards making men and women aware of the risks of heart diseases.