Welcome,  |  index projects contact archive feedback Last update: August 1, 2005 at 7:08 PM Editorial: Heart implants/Better reporting system needed August 2, 2005 ED0802 When 21-year-old Joshua Oukrop died last May of cardiac arrest, the safety of heart-helping devices came under increased scrutiny. The Grand Rapids, Minn., college student had a Guidant implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) that failed to deliver the necessary shock to keep his heart pumping. A design flaw made the device short-circuit when it was needed most. Shortly after Oukrop's death, the New York Times reported that Guidant officials had known for three years that the same model had repeatedly short-circuited but had decided not to alert doctors. Consequently, the company recalled thousands of the devices, though several recently were returned to the market.

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