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St. Jude Symmetry Bypass Aortic Connector

The St. Jude Symmetry Bypass Aortic Connector has been associated with a high occurrence of heart attacks, respiratory failure, and has been linked several deaths. The adverse effects associated with the St. Jude Symmetry Aortic connector include graft narrowing, valve leakage, failed deployment, and occlusion.

The St. Jude Symmetry is commonly used in "beating heart" or "off machine" heart bypass surgery. "Beating Heart" or "Off Machine" bypass surgery has become increasingly popular because it eliminates the need for the bypass patient to hooked up to a lung machine during bypass surgery. The device allows thoracic surgeons to attach saphenous (leg) vein grafts to the aorta without sutures and without clamping the aorta during the procedure.

The St. Jude Medical Symmetry device was approved in 2001 after an abbreviated approval process. 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 the heart lung machine.

Despite adverse reports, the manufacturer of the symmetric bypass aortic connectors, St. Jude Medical neither conducted clinical trials or testing of a larger segment of the post-cardiac bypass population, nor have they made any alterations in design or manufacture that would lessen the great danger the aortic connector poses to implant patients.

To make matters worse, St. Jude Medical has not contacted the physicians or patients to emphasize the importance of regular monitoring and testing of patients with the Symmetry connector. The Symmetry Bypass Aortic connector is still on the market and aggressively marketed by St. Jude Medical.

If you or a loved one suffered injuries from a St Jude Aortic connector, please fill out the form at the right for a free case evaluation by a qualified defective medical device attorney.