Medtronic Archer 0.035 inch (0.89mm) Super Stiff Guidewire, Models ARCSJ200W, ARCSJ260W, and ARCDJ260W. Sterile using ethylene oxide. Product Usage: The Medtronic Archer 0.035 inch (0.89mm) Super Stiff Guidewires are intended to facilitate catheter placement and exchange during diagnostic or interventional procedures in the aorta, where increased support, distal flexibility, and low surface friction of the guidewire is needed.

Recall Insight

This FDA Devices action (record #Z-1019-2013) was formally reported on April 3, 2013, with the manufacturer initiating the action on March 13, 2013. It is classified under Moderate severity (Class II), with a current status of Terminated. Medtronic Inc. Cardiac Rhythm Disease Management is listed as the recalling firm, operating out of Saint Paul, MN. Federal records indicate 27,682 devices units are affected.

The documented reason for this recall is: Medtronic has identified an issue involving specific lot numbers of the Medtronic Archer 0.035 inch (0.89mm) Super Stiff Guidewire, Models ARCSJ200W, ARCSJ260W, and ARCDJ260W, where a change in the manufacturing process… Distribution data in the federal record shows the product reached: Worldwide Distribution - USA (nationwide) including Puerto Rico and the countries of: Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bolivia, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Croatia, Czech Republic, Ecuador, El Salva…. Distribution scope directly affects the consumer exposure window and determines whether a recall remains regional or escalates into a nationwide advisory.

To put this record in context, PlainRecalls indexes 83,949 recalls across the FDA, CPSC, NHTSA and USDA FSIS going back to 1995. Within the same product category, the database holds 6 closely related recalls, of which 6 were also issued by FDA Devices. That clustering is a signal — repeated actions in a narrow category often indicate a systemic quality-control issue, a supplier-wide contamination, or a design defect that has propagated across product lines. This recall is roughly 13 years old; older recalls can remain relevant because many units enter resale, rental, and secondary-market channels where the original warning never reaches the end user. Always cross-check the recall number against the official agency page before relying on any summary.