St. Jude Medical Faces Claims Over Spinal Cord Stimulator

St. Jude Medical Inc. and related companies must face a woman’s claims that a defectively manufactured spinal cord stimulator caused her severe pain.

Federal medical device law doesn’t preempt Kathleen M. Freed’s manufacturing defect claims, the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware said Feb. 1.

Freed underwent surgery to receive a Protégé 16-Channel IPG Spinal Cord Stimulator in 2014 to relieve chronic lower back pain. The device was implanted in her left buttock.

The device began giving off severely painful electrical shocks and a burning sensation, causing extreme discomfort, Freed said. She had the device removed but continues ...