GUIDANT AGREES TO PAY FOR DEFIBRILLATOR REPLACEMENTS

In a policy reversal, Guidant has begun telling doctors that the company will cover the cost of a new defibrillator if the physician and the patient decide that a replacement is needed for a model that has failed in at least 26 cases, including one recent death. Guidant officials found themselves in a medical and public relations controversy after it was disclosed that they did not tell doctors for more than three years that the device could short-circuit when needed.
The New York Times