Medtronic drug pump recalled for fatal flaw

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Monday announced a recall on a drug infusion pump of Medtronic, the Associated Press reported. The recalled drug pump was called "SynchroMed II", including models of 8637-20 and 8637-40, distributed between 2004 and July 2011. Drug infusion pump was used to deliver the drugs for patients to treat chronic pain, spasms as well as other conditions. The pumps' malfunction could put patients in the risk of either recurrent or withdrawal symptoms, which could be life-threatening, FDA warned. There were 55 reported cases and one death related to the drug withdrawal, among a total 139,653 SynchroMed II pump implants worldwide, FDA notified. The problem was due to a film within the pump's battery that could stop the therapy, FDA said. Medtronic, the U.S. medical technology company based in Minneapolis, is not recommending patients to remove the pumps, but instead, encourage patients to contact their doctor if they hear the device alarm.