According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgery, there has been a large increase in the number of patients undergoing total knee replacement surgery. This increase is especially prevalent in cases involving younger adults and obese Americans.
Artificial knees are big business for medical device manufacturers and surgeons who perform the operations. These companies are spending more money than ever in direct marketing to patients who suffer from osteoarthritis of the knee and other knee disorders.
Advertising tells us that if we undergo a total knee replacement, we will back to feeling how we did when we were much younger and be able to participate in a full range of activities. For seniors, this means living a more independent lifestyle, and for younger people, a total knee replacement means that we can participate in athletic activities as we did before having knee trouble.
What medical device manufactures don’t want patients to know is the there are serious risks of complications associated with a total knee replacement that may leave patients much worse off than they were before having the surgery, and many of the total knee replacement procedures were not necessary in the first place.
What are the Risks Associated With Total Knee Replacement?Knee replacement injury attorneys at Jeffrey Glassman Injury Lawyers understand, some of the most popular (and profitable) artificial knees are defectively designed and drug companies have failed to adequately warn patients of these known dangers.
An artificial knee must be designed to support most of the weight of the patient and must be durable enough to last as long as needed. For many years, a total knee replacement involved cementing the artificial knee to the remaining bone structure. More recently, medical device manufactures have developed artificial knees that do not require cement. Instead, an artificial knee is fused directly to the patient’s bone structure.
One example is the line of NexGen artificial knees manufactured by Zimmer. Many doctors simply refer to the NexGen as a Zimmer knee. The NexGen first entered the market in 1995 and since that time, it has been implanted in more than three million patients. There are several variations of NexGen artificial knees such as the Lateral Posterior Stabilizing (LPS) knee that utilizes a Fixed-Flex Bearing system. The company also makes a Cruciate Retaining (CR) knee and a Minimally Invasive Solutions (MIS) knee.
Victims of defective NexGen knees have been plagued by increased joint pain, loosening, and partial or total failure of the artificial knee. Many patients have been required to undergo additional surgeries to repair or replace the defective artificial knee though the company and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have yet to formally recall the dangerous and defective products.
Do I Have a Case Against Zimmer or Other Manufacturer of My Artificial Knee?One of the questions typically asked by patients with a defective artificial knee is whether or not they have grounds for a lawsuit. If you have some of the following symptoms, you should discuss them with an experienced defective artificial knee lawyer:
While there has not been a formal recall of these artificial knees, the manufacture has issued what is known as an Urgent Field Safety Notice detailing the increased rates of failure, and there have been recalls on various components of the artificial knee system such as the polymer-based patella which have been known to crack or otherwise break down.
To learn more about how a Boston personal injury lawyer can help you if you are suffering from Zimmer knee complications, or complications from any other artificial knee, contact Jeffrey Glassman Injury Lawyers today at (617) 777-7777 or online.
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