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May 7, 2008 4:12 pm US/Central
Medtronic Pulls Some Heparin-Coated Devices
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) ―
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Medtronic says its recall includes products such as blood oxygenators and tubing packs that were found with contaminated heparin. Medtronic's coating is called Carmeda BioActive.
Medtronic Inc. says it is recalling some devices used in heart bypass surgery because their coating includes contaminated heparin, a blood thinner that has been linked to 81 deaths.
Most of the heparin recalled by other manufacturers has been in large doses for patients getting heart surgery or dialysis. But it's also used in much smaller quantities as a coating on devices such as stents or catheters.
Medtronic says its recall includes products such as blood oxygenators and tubing packs that were found with contaminated heparin. Medtronic's coating is called Carmeda BioActive.
It says it has not gotten any reports that anyone got sick from the devices, and it's not clear whether exposure at those levels would cause a problem.
Medtronic also says it found tainted heparin in a different coating, called Trillium. But it says it won't recall Trillium products because it has much less heparin than the other coating.
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Medtronic was founded in 1949 as a medical equipment repair shop by Earl Bakken and his brother-in-law, Palmer Hermundslie.
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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