Zimmer Runs Strong Despite Knee Breakdown

Zimmer Holdings represented the leading company providing knee replacement implants in 2010 with a 26% market share. This news comes, despite the findings that show that 36 percent of the Zimmer knee replacements showed signs of loosening after two years. Since the Zimmer NexGen knee replacement system has been on the market, almost a quarter of a million people in the US alone have had Zimmer knee implants. However, the Zimmer knee replacement, namely theNexGen CR-Flex Porous Femoral component, has recently been linked to a variety of problems, from loosening of the implant to failure of the replacement knee, requiring Zimmer knee revision surgery.

The Zimmer NexGen MIS knee components were pulled off the market due to reports that suggested the knee replacements may be loosening and causing patients to undergo additional surgery to have the artificial knee replaced.Several months prior to the recall, Zimmer sent a letter to healthcare facilities and customers who had bought the device instructing them to destroy or disregard all previous guides on the surgical techniques needed to install the implants and sent out revised surgical guides. Zimmer allegedly downplayed and understated the risk of Zimmer NexGen knee problems, according to allegations raised in the complaints by plaintiffs who are now embroiled in Zimmer knee lawsuits.

A motion filed earlier this month is calling for all Zimmer NexGen knee lawsuits filed in various federal district courts throughout the United States to be centralized before one judge for coordinated handling during pretrial proceedings as part of an MDL, or multidistrict litigation. In response to concerns about Zimmer's handling of the concerns raised by their consultant, Senator Charles E. Grassley sent a letter to the company President and CEO in July 2010 requesting additional information on what the company was doing to respond to complaints and whether there were reports of problems with other products for which a Zimmer recall had not yet been issued. Plaintiffs in these cases claim to have suffered catastrophic implant failures, had permanent problems walking or had to undergo revision surgery to remove or replace the implants because they failed far in advance of their projected lifespan. Victims suffering from Zimmer knee failure are advised to consult with an experienced Zimmer knee lawyer immediately.