Zimmer Knee Problems Lead to MDL

Lawsuits are now popping up throughout the nation over Zimmer Knee Failure due to a breakdown of key elements in the implant, sometimes occurring immediately after the initial knee replacement surgery. Patricia Derenburger’s brought her case to a Zimmer knee lawyer and, much like other litigants; she claims that, shortly after her surgery, she began to suffer from severe pain in her knee. After undergoing a knee revision surgery, which replaced the original implant, Dereburger continued to experience significant pain. On Dec. 13, 2011, Derenburger’s Zimmer Knee Lawsuit was consolidated into the multidistrict litigation (MDL) in the U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois. All of the cases involved are currently being overseen by Judge Rebecca Pallmeyer.

Sometimes, high-flex knee devices don’t always deliver as promised. In 2007, a study published in The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery (British Edition) found that 38 percent of patients who underwent total knee replacement with a Zimmer NexGen knee experienced loosening within two years. About half of those patients had to undergo revisions. All litigation involved in the MDL involves common questions of fact. They allege that the Zimmer CR-Flex, LPS-Flex and/or MIS Tibial components are prone to premature loosening, causing affected individuals pain and loss of movement, and often forcing them to undergo revision surgery. The actions also raise factual issues as to whether the Zimmer high-flex components (CR-Flex and LPS-Flex) actually provide an individual with any increase in flexion.

The multidistrict litigation process, more commonly referred to as the Zimmer NexGen MDL, is often confused with a class action lawsuit against Zimmer. While the MDL and a Zimmer NexGen knee class action lawsuit have many similarities during pretrial proceedings, each claim remains an individual lawsuit, where the plaintiff must establish that their injuries were caused by problems with the Zimmer knee design and each claim will be decided individually be a jury. It is expected that hundreds of lawsuits will eventually be filed over Zimmer NexGen knee replacement problems, which involve early failure of the artificial knee and often result in the need for additional revision surgery.