Then: Jeez, it's just a little beeping noise. Don't go having a heart attack.

In June, Guidant recalls 50,000 heart defibrillators - about 38,600 of them already implanted in people's chests - that might, in rare cases, short-circuit when they're supposed to deliver vital electrical jolts. The recall comes after the devices were reported to have failed at least 45 times, including two instances in which the patients died. Guidant fixed the flaw in devices made after mid-2002 but neglected to inform doctors and continued to sell units produced before the fix. The recall advises patients that, should the device malfunction, it will emit a beeping noise, at which point they should contact their doctors or head to an emergency room.

Now: A real heart breaker

Following a fierce bidding war with Johnson & Johnson, Boston Scientific shells out $27 billion to buy Guidant in early 2006. Despite predictions of double-digit growth, the deal is not well received on Wall Street, and the stock begins a steady decline. After another cardiac device recall, Boston's stock plummets to a three-year low.