| A heart-device problem that has plagued St. Jude Medical Inc. shows no signs of relenting, according to data in the company's latest performance report, expected to be published Tuesday.
The rate of a key failure for the company's Riata-series "leads," wires that connect a defibrillator to the heart, increased 17% since the company's last performance report in November. Following that report, the company issued an advisory—regulators called it a recall—over concerns that the electrical wires inside the lead have a tendency to wear through their silicone coating, becoming loose in blood vessels near the heart. |
