Those of us who live in the United States are all too familiar with the practice of manufacturers recalling their merchandise, usually because of some kind of defect in them that is detected after the merchandise was released in the market.

American car manufacturers are probably the worst offenders. It is very common for the owner of a car to get a notice from the manufacturer in the mail saying some part of the car (it could be the brake, the igniter, the seat belt, the fuel tank cap or anything) may have defect in it and it may malfunction. The owner is usually advised to take the car to the nearest dealer to have the part checked out and replaced for free, if necessary.

Another major group of products that we often hear of as being recalled are baby products. They could be toys (usually a part is identified that could come loose and cause choking hazard to the baby), or baby strollers, car seats, baby carriers, cribs, baby chairs, even baby clothing (a button or a tie-string could cause choking or strangulation hazard, or the material itself could be a fire hazard). Usually the buyers in these cases are advised to take the merchandise back to the store from where they bought it for a full refund or replacement.

Food products are also often recalled. Several batches of hamburgers of certain brands may be recalled because of possible contamination with e-coli bacteria. Chicken is sometimes recalled because of possible contamination with salmonella. Again, in these cases, the buyer is usually asked to take the product back to the store from where they bought it for a full refund.

Sometime ago, I had seen in a TV news magazine, that a famous manufacturer of artificial hip joints of Texas was recalling several batches of their artificial hip joints. The reason? Many recipients of their hip joints developed complications after the replacement surgery and subsequently it was discovered that the artificial joints were defective. The manufacturer later admitted that because of cost cutting, their quality control had gone downhill and indeed the joints they made between certain dates were substandard. The joints were later recalled, and many surgeons asked their patients to come back and have their joints replaced again!

The latest recall news scares me to death. A Massachusetts based manufacturer of antibiotic coated cardiac stents (a device that is placed in your coronary artery after a block is opened up by baloon angioplasty, to keep it open so that blood can easily flow through the artery) has recalled certain batches of their cardiac stents, obviously because they are defective. Several patients have developed complications after stents were put in them, and one patient has actually died from these complications.

So why am I scared? Because three antibiotic coated stents have been placed in my coronary artery some time ago and the procedure was done in a Massachusetts hospital. Am I going to receive a letter from my hospital soon asking me to come back to the hospital for a FREE replacement of my cardiac stents?

(Signed) Shoban Sen