A truck operator however is expected to be able to quickly identify a defective device and either replace it or engineer a way around it.

In case of a defective device, service personnel can check whether the device might have suffered from contact with water.

They said the agency had known of problems since 1988 but had failed "to get the defective devices away from patients."

The hospital patient and medical attendants are exposed to macro shocks from defective electrical devices and biomedical equipment.

To reduce manufacturing costs and improve yield, semiconductor devices should be tested after being fabricated to prevent even a small number of defective devices ending up with consumer.

He said: "We remain steadfast in our recommendation to the public of precautionary removal of these defective devices.

And major litigation against products like asbestos, breast implants and defective birth-control devices like the Dalkon Shield also traces back decades.

A hearing of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee to discuss the need to better protect patients from defective medical devices.

Even if the defective device is replaced, it can leave behind dangerous, possibly deadly fragments that may not be discovered for years.

Medical Device Case Also today, the Court heard arguments on whether people who have been injured by defective medical devices can sue for damages under state law.