HeartWare Ventricular Assist System (HVAD). Catalog #'s US: 1101 and 1103 / OUS: 1100,1101,1102,1104,1104JP and 1205. For use as a bridge-to-cardiac transplantation in patients who are at risk of death from refractory end-stage left ventricular heart failure.

Recall Insight

This FDA Devices action (record #Z-1731-2015) was formally reported on June 24, 2015, with the manufacturer initiating the action on April 29, 2015. It is classified under Critical severity (Class I), with a current status of Ongoing. HeartWare Inc is listed as the recalling firm, operating out of Miami Lakes, FL. Federal records indicate 3,747 curently implanted units are affected.

The documented reason for this recall is: Complaints with the HVAD Internal Controller Alarm Battery failures. Distribution data in the federal record shows the product reached: Worldwide Distribution -- US, including the states of AL, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, IA, IL, IN, KY, LA, MA, MD, MI, MN, MO, MS, NC, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OR, PA, SC, TN, TX, UT, and VA; and, the countries of Argentina, …. 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 11 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.