Knee Replacement Recall For Zimmer, Backed Up By Research

More than 150,000 Zimmer NexGen CR and Zimmer NexGen CR-Flex Porous Femoral implants have been sold since 2003, and some doctors have reported experiencing a substantially higher-than-expected rate of Zimmer knee failures within a few years of surgery using these implants. This Zimmer NexGen knee has a “high-flex” porous femoral component that attaches to the bottom of the thighbone instead of using cement to keep the knee replacements in place. The high-flexion (hi-flex) knee implants, which promise a higher range of motion than traditional devices, and are generally used in younger, more active patients, but this appears to mean these patients more often require Zimmer knee revision surgery. Hi-flex knee replacement surgery requires that more bone at the back of the knee be removed so

Zimmer Knee Failure More Common than Should Be

Almost nine percent of patients of Zimmer’s NexGen knee replacement system have experienced knee replacement failure after their implant was installed, a number which has sent shockwaves through the medical community and which most medical experts think is unreasonable. Patients are suffering far more than they had ever expected – in many cases, side effects of Zimmer knee failure mimic the conditions that prompted them to get a knee replacement operation in the first place. In any case, the symptoms are painful and can include swelling and diminishment of the ability to walk and properly move around.

Future Of Knee Replacement Can Seem Fearful Due To Defective Zimmer Implants

Some 76 million baby boomers are getting older, and that means more physical problems for more people. Will this mean that there will be more implant device complications, such as the seemingly common Zimmer knee replacement failures, though? The AAOS says that in 2006 there were more than 1 million hip and knee replacement surgeries performed in the U.S. Of those, 7.5% were revision surgeries. The 77,000 procedures to replace or repair defective or poorly installed artificial hip and knee joints added $32 billion to the cost of medical care. The AAOS says that the registry costs about $20 to $25 million to launch.

In August, a DePuy ASR hip implant recall was issued for about 93,000 artificial hips after it was discovered that about 12% to 13% of the individuals who received the hip implant had their device fail within five years. Many DePuy ASR lawsuits have been filed on behalf of individuals who received the implant, alleging that doctors were expressing concerns to DePuy about a higher-than-expected failure rate for the metal hip system before the recall. This Zimmer NexGen knee has