During the 2010 meeting of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons a prominent knee surgeon announced thata study he had conducted showed a high rate of Zimmer knee failure. The Zimmer NexGen device seemed to be related to side effects like component loosening, pain, and difficulty walking in an extraordinary number of patients. Based on this, he advised other surgeons not to use the Zimmer device in their surgeries. In September of 2010, possibly as a response to this assertion, Zimmer initiated a small-scale recall of certain components of the NexGen device, due to “nonconforming geometry”, meaning certain components did not interlock correctly. The recall affected a total of 350 devices, 158 flex gender femoral components and 192 femoral components. Zimmer knee distributors worldwide were notified of the recall in mid-September, although for reasons unknown the Food and Drug Administration did not announce the recall publicly until several months later, in December of 2010.
Iowa Senator Charles E. Grassley sent a letter to Zimmer demanding an explanation for Zimmer’s firing of employees and consultants who had made statements about the dubious quality of certain Zimmer products such as the NexGen device. Several legal advertisers have been urging Zimmer patients whose devices were included in the recall to file suit against the company, and Zimmer lashed back at two of these firms earlier this year, filing a Zimmer knee lawsuit that claimed the advertisers were making libelous statements against the company which could harm the reputation of the orthopedics giant.
Zimmer is one of the top orthopedics companies in the world, with billions of dollars in yearly sales. Zimmer patients who have received devices affected by the NexGen recall (numbers Z-0534-2011 and Z-0528-2011) are being urged by medical and legal experts to contact an experienced Zimmer knee lawyer.
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