St. Jude Medical Heart Bypass Surgery Lawsuits

St. Jude Medical, Inc. developed the Symmetry Bypass System Aortic Connector as the first in a line of sutureless grafting devices for Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting. Approved in 2001 for use in the United States, the Symmetry Bypass System Aortic Connector is a mechanical anastomosis device that allows cardiac surgeons to attach vein grafts to the aorta without sutures.

St. Jude Medical received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2001 to use the device in the United States, after an abbreviated evaluation process, which, though controversial, federal law currently allows. There have been thousands of the devices implanted during coronary bypass surgery, mostly in "off pump" or "beating heart" procedures where surgeons do not place the patient on a machine to control respiration and blood circulation.

Recently, it has come to the attention of the FDA that use of the aortic connector may create a greater risk for post-operative complications such as graft narrowing, leakage, failed deployment, and occlusion. Many of the symmetry bypass aortic connector patients had to undergo a second coronary bypass procedure to repair the graft and remove the aortic connector device. Many patients suffered medical problems, such as heart attacks, respiratory failure, and, in some cases, possibly even death. To date, twenty deaths have been connected, if not attributed to, the use of the St. Jude Aortic Connector.

If you or a loved one has experienced problems due to a symmetry bypass procedure contact us here to explore your legal rights.