A patient claims his defibrillator was defective and the battery began to deplete prematurely.
Robert Box and Jeanie Box filed a complaint Oct. 1 in the Madison County Circuit Court against Abbott Laboratories.
According to the complaint, Robert Box underwent surgery at Anderson Hospital in Maryville on May 15, 2012, where he had a St. Jude cardioverter defibrillator device, also known as a pulse generator, implanted. The device was manufactured by St. Jude Medical Inc., which has merged with Abbott. The plaintiffs allege that in early 2019, the device began to have “premature battery depletion” and “containment leakage of lithium acid” into his body.
The plaintiffs allege that on May 30, 2019, the defibrillator was removed and replaced with another pulse generator. They allege that Robert Box suffered pain, disfigurement and mental anguish as well as “loss of capacity for the enjoyment of life” as a result of the alleged defective device.
The plaintiffs also claim they have incurred medical expenses such as nursing care and loss of earnings.
They claim the device is “unreasonably dangerous” and that Abbott negligently allowed the device to be manufactured with a defective design.
The plaintiffs seek compensation of more than $50,000, plus interest and all other just relief.
This article was first published in Madison Record.
