The Supreme Court has ruled in favor of medical device manufacturers, making it more difficult for consumers to sue the makers of devices that have been federally approved. The court ruled 8-to-1 in favor of Medtronic in a lawsuit filed against the company by Mrs. Charles Riegel. The lawsuit said that a balloon catheter had burst while Mr. Riegel was undergoing an angioplasty. The Supreme Court upheld a federal district court’s decision, dismissing the lawsuit on the ground that the catheter had been given pre-market approval by the FDA.