European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 14, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse Saturday March 14, 1992 the stars and stripes b Page 7fda issues warning on flawed heart valve Washington apr a defectively designed heart valve May be too risky to leave implanted and some patients May want to consider having it replaced the food and drug administration says. The Agency issued a warning thursday after reviewing a study on dutch patients that found the failure rate of this particular heart valve May be about five times higher than previously believed. Struts welded inside the valve can break causing the device to fail. Failure is often fatal. At Issue is the Large 60-degree Bjork Shiley mitral heart valve which has been implanted in about 23,000 people in the United states and Canada. The valves were taken off the Market in 1986. The Fra said that patients with the valves should discuss the matter with their doctors. Pfizer inc., Parent company of the manufacturer had no immediate comment on the Fra action. The dutch study published last month in the British journal lancet found that the cumulative failure rate of the valve Over eight years was 4.2 percent. Among younger patients the failure rate was 6.3 percent. The study examined 2,303 patients. This new information caused the Fra to conclude that the risk of failure May be greater than the risk of the surgery it would take to replace the valve. The Fra has received reports of 222 deaths from the defective valves. But Public citizen the Ralph Nader founded consumer organization has said that based on the new failure rate there May have been As Many As 667 deaths from the devices. Last month Public citizen asked for basically the action that the Fra took thursday. A when a critical device such As a heart valve is found to have a problem that could result in death or serious injury Fra has an obligation to see that doctors and patients Are notified so that they can consider the new information in deciding on a course of action a Fra commissioner David Kessler said in a statement. Fra said it asked the manufacturer to notify patients and doctors of the new information and to include a full copy of the dutch study in a mailing to the physicians. 2 killed while performing secret research for Navy from wire reports Westport Wash. A two researchers were killed in an explosion aboard a ship while they were doing secret research for the Navy officials said. Scientists were planting explosives in the water wednesday As part of a seismic testing project when some of the ordnance exploded on deck said Cliff Kaldor a coast guard spokesman in Westport. The Accident aboard the 265-foot Amy Chouest occurred about 13 Miles off the Southern Washington coast the coast guard said. The two men killed worked for Marine specially inc. Of East Camden Ark., said Dennis Booth commanding officer of the coast guard station in Westport. They were identified As Mike Sinclair 44, of Al Dorado Ark. And Lee Roy Burks 39, of Bearden Ark. Wild horses saved Las vegas a six men including three Shoshone Indian leaders have been indicted on Federal charges of Selling 77 wild horses to a Texas slaughterhouse after capturing the animals in a helicopter Roundup. The horses were impounded by the Bureau of land management. The six face Misdemeanour charges of conspiracy and use of an aircraft to Hunt wild horses. The charges carry a maximum penalty of six months in jail. One of the sue Raymond Yowell chief of the Western Shoshone National Council sent the Bureau a Bill for the Cost of the Roundup according to wednesdays indictment. Mom charged in death new Orleans a a woman who thought her gun Wasny to loaded shot and killed her 14-year-old son thursday during an argument Over the boys refusal to clean his room. Frankie Thomas 40, was booked for second degree murder in the death of her son Darrell at their new Orleans Home said police spokesman Marlon Defillo. She was jailed without Bond. Parents spoil egg Hunt St. Louis a this years riverfront easter egg Hunt was cancelled because during last years event parents rushed in before the kids and grabbed most of the 20,000 eggs. A we just said enough is enough and we re going to take a break this year a said Thomas w. Purcell chairman of the downtown St. Louis inc. Committee that organizes the event. The committee worried that someone would be injured. Children and adults were knocked Over in the Rush last year. Chicago lawyer named Washington a president Bush has chosen Vicki Ann of Meara a partner in a Chicago Law firm to be an assistant attorney general for land and natural resources at the Justice department the White House announced thursday. Of Meara served As Deputy general counsel at the environmental Protection Agency from 1987 to 1988 and was a special assistant to the White House counsel in the Reagan administration. Take that mrs. Bush first lady Barbara Bush receives a pin from Junior girl scout Jacqueline Rodriguez during a ceremony in Washington on thursday. The Celebration was held in Honor of the 80th anniversary of the girl scouts of the United states of America which has More than 3.3 million members. Nurse testifies officer told King we won that game Simi Valley Calif. Apas Rodney g. King Lay in an emergency room a police officer told the beating victim a Well we had a pretty Good hardball game tonight did no to we a a nurse told a court Friday. Lawrence Davis who was at Pacifica Hospital when King was brought in beaten and bruised on March 3, 1991, said the remarks were made by officer Laurence m. Powell who also commented a we won that game. We hit quite a few Home runs tonight did no to we a Davis said another defendant officer Timothy wind was in the room when the comments were made. The nurse said he could not recall if wind said anything to King. King quietly nodded in response to the questions Davis said. But the witness said it struck him As Odd a that you can brag about hitting Home runs. I done to know How you can do that to another human Davis testimony was previewed outside the jury a presence in the assault trial of Powell wind and two other officers. Wind a Rookie has since been fired by the police department. Superior court judge Stanley Weisberg ruled that the jury could hear the testimony later Friday. Powell 29, wind 31, sgt. Stacey c. Koon 41, and officer Theodore j. Briseno 39, Are variously charged with assault and filing false police reports. If convicted they would face prison terms of four to eight years Davis testimony came a Day after a police sergeant a Ipa cd Baton class shortly before the clubbing and that Powell testified that three of the defendants participated in a was faulted for a weak swing. A emr. Powell a first attempt appeared to me weak a sgt. Richard Distefano testified thursday. A so we had him do it Over again. To get a Little More Power into his the four defendants allegedly struck King with their Batons and kicked him a total of 56 times after he was stopped for speeding in the san Fernando Valley. The incident was recorded on videotape by a nearby resident and broadcast repeatedly in news reports worldwide. Witness says he followed Gotti s orders new York a Salvatore a Sammy Bull Gravano the admitted mafia unde Boss turned informant testified thursday that he was Only following orders from Gambino crime family Boss John Gotti when he killed mob associates. A i was a Good Loyal Soldier. John barked and i bit a Gravano said under Cross examination by Gotti attorney Anthony Cardinale. Gravano who admitted to 19 murders in a plea bargain also disputed gottis account of what led up to the october 1990 slaying of Gambino Soldier Louis Dibono. On an Fri tape secretly recorded dec. 12, 1989, Gotti is heard complaining to co defendant Frank a Frankie Locso Locascio about Gravano a greed. He says every time Gravano had problems with a business partner he wanted him killed. A this is a conversation that took place behind my Back a Gravano said. A i Wasny to at this meeting. He a relating something that a not really True. He a telling him a Little bit of a Gravano told Cardinale that Gotti ordered Dibono killed because he had drug problems and Wasny to coming to meetings when called by Gotti. A what i heard was Why he was getting whacked was he did no to come in to the administration. It had nothing to do with my business a Gravano said. A when John had enough of it he had him
