FDA: Controller For Heart Pump Recalled Over Deaths

WASHINGTON (AP) – Federal regulators say nearly 29,000 controllers for implanted heart pumps are being recalled after reports of 26 deaths linked to malfunctions.
The recall covers the external power supply controller for the HeartMate II, made by Abbott Laboratories’ Thoratec unit and distributed from July 2012 until last March. The ventricular assist device helps the heart’s main pumping chamber circulate blood.
The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday said 70 malfunctio