Medtronic warns of older pacemaker wires Medtronic Inc. sent doctors around the world a letter Monday telling them about potential issues with wires in some older pacemakers that affect about 37,000 devices and may lead doctors to remove and replace some of them. The issues covered in the "Dear Doctor" letter involve a small fraction of the more than 1.7 million "Kappa" and "Sigma" pacemakers implanted in the last 12 years. The letter included a new problem with both pacemakers and an issue with Sigma devices that was identified in 2005 but has caused a higher-than-expected failure rate.
Medtronic considers the risk of device failure to be less than 4 percent over the lifespan of most affected pacemakers. And when one does fail, the vast majority of patients will have slow heart rhythms that would cause light-headedness or fainting, but not life-threatening complications, Medtronic said. Doctors should advise patients with those symptoms to seek medical attention right away, Medtronic said.
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Lawson to reduce workforce 4 percent Lawson Software Inc. said Monday that it will cut 150 jobs, or about 4 percent of its global work force, including 20 jobs in St. Paul. The company also will consolidate space in certain leased facilities related to its international operations, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Lawson said it expects the changes to save $18 million to $20 million and will reinvest a portion of the savings to fund newly created positions.
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