HeartSine Technologies of San Clemente, Calif., said it is recalling some of its Samaritan Automatic External Defibrillators that may not work properly.
Defibrillators are designed to shock the heart back into proper rhythm for patients whose hearts suddenly begin beating erratically.
HeartSine said the recalled machines can, in some cases, shut down before delivering the lifesaving shock, which could result in a delay in treatment or even the death of a patient.
The company said the recall was launched after it received user complaints about machines shutting down during their charging phase. It said it has not received any reports of injuries.
Involved are models SAM-001, SAM-002 and SAM-003 with serial numbers within the range of 1270 - 2324, the company said.
HeartSine said it has notified its distributors of the problem and is providing a user-installable software upgrade for affected units.
The company said 672 of the units were distributed worldwide including 532 in U.S.
Persons with questions can contact the company at 1-949-218-0092 or 1-866-478-7463.
