On October 8, 2003, Guidant declared its intention of voluntarily recalling certain manufacturing lots of its Multi-Link Vision Stent, specifically the ones that measured 3.0 mm in diameter. The coronary stents that were recalled did not pass regulation quality testing. They were also found not to stay in place after insertion into an artery. The withdrawal of the products applied to stent shipments made to the United States, Australia and Europe. These stents were approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on July 16, 2003.

The Guidant Multi-Link Vision Stent is a tiny, metal, lattice shaped tube that is slipped into an artery to remain there permanently. The coronary stent aids in propping open an artery that was surgically cleared, so that regular blood flow through that artery can be restored. This type of stent has drugs associated with its use that lessen the chance of the propped open arteries from getting blocked again.

There is now new data that show that medicated, or drug-coated stents, such as the Guidant Multi-Link Vision Stent, are the possible cause of 4,500 cardiac arrests every year, with up to 2,000 of them leading to fatalities. This heightened risk could potentially prevail for the whole lifetime of a patient implanted with this device and could lead to a patient being required to take medication intended to thin down his blood as long as he lives, which could result to the possibility of his acquiring certain drug side effects that could be fatal.

This Guidant-initiated recall of the Multi-Link Vision Stent came in the wake of the recall Guidant also placed on its Ancure Stent. Aside from giving out a guilty plea for 10 felonies, Guidant also agreed to shell out $92.4 million in criminal and civil penalties several months before this new recall. This amount was for the settlement of the federal charges filed against them for withholding pertinent information regarding the malfunctions found in an estimated 2,600 Ancure stents. The Ancure coronary stent was connected to a minimum of 12 fatalities and was reported to have malfunctioned 2,400 times.

It is possible that you are among those who suffered from a blood clot formation in your artery or had a heart attack or stroke because of the Guidant Multi-Link Vision Stent implanted in your artery. You might even have lost a loved one because of these complications. If this is the case, then it is time to contact a lawyer who could help you evaluate your case, as you are entitled to receive compensation for all your suffering and expenses. Be sure to contact a lawyer as soon as your ailments are sustained or immediately after the death of your loved one, whatever the case may be, because there are statutes of limitations in every state, which restricts the filing of compensation claims after a given period of time. Usually, a two-year statute limit is adopted by a state, which gives you two years after your injury is sustained, or after the death of a family member, to file a personal injury or wrongful death claim.

The lawyer that you hire will help you in filing either of these claims and will guide you through the entire process. A compassionate and dedicated lawyer will ensure that the financial retribution that you get will compensate for everything that you went through because of your injuries or because of the loss of your spouse. This means that all your medical expenses and even burial costs will be reimbursed. Your lawyer will also make sure that you will be provided with financial security, if possible for the rest of your life, to make up for all of the losses that you endured.