Medtronic (and by default, all medical device manufacturers) scored a huge win on Wednesday when the U.S. Supreme Court held that medical device manufacturers cannot he held liable in tort actions for medical devices that have gone through FDA pre-market approval.  The case in question was brought by the estate of a man injured when a balloon catheter manufactured by Medtronic burst.  While the issue of preemption of tort liability under the federal Medical Device Amendments of 1976 have been the subject of debate in the federal courts, the Supreme Court’s action will likely end that debate for the time being.