Zimmer May Have Known Knee Risks, Alleges Lawsuit

A new lawsuit filed on January 5th, 2012, by plaintiff James Furman against Zimmer Inc. is the latest in a number of Zimmer knee lawsuits that alleges Zimmer knew the risks associated with its NexGen knee replacement systems and decided to manufacture and market the devices anyway. The lawsuit, filed in the District Court of Minnesota, by Furman's Zimmer knee lawyer, states that Furman received a Zimmer knee replacement system--the NexGen LPS-Flex femoral component--on July 18 2006. From there, he experienced a number of complications.

Plaintiff experienced Zimmer knee side effects

The complaint filed by Furman's Zimmer knee lawyer states that neither Furman nor his physicians knew of the risks and potential complications associated with Zimmer knee replacement systems at the time, including the NexGen products which have been central in so many Zimmer lawsuits. Not long after he received the device, he began to experience severe side effects, including "severe and debilitating pain after the implant" to the point that his knee joint mobility was limited. Furman was forced to undergo Zimmer knee revision surgery on the 23rd of December, 2008, according to the complaint. 

Zimmer knee side effects associated with surgical technique, company claims

Although a number of patients have come forward with stories of severe Zimmer knee problems, Zimmer continues to claim that problems with NexGen devices do not stem from defects in the products themselves; instead, they place the blame on inadequate surgical technique. However, a number of lawsuits, including Furman's, claim that Zimmer actually knew of the possibility of complications and side effects associated with Zimmer devices, and should have warned patients and medical professionals more thoroughly. 

Furman seeks compensatory and special damages because of his Zimmer knee injuries, asking for more than $75,000 to cover past and present injuries, medical expenses (past and future), lost income, and permanent disability. His Zimmer knee lawyer is also claiming product liability, negligence, and breach of warranty in the Zimmer knee complaint. 

Alabama Zimmer Lawsuit Moved to Zimmer Knee MDL

A lawsuit entered the U.S. District Court System in the Southern District of Alabama was filed by Willa J. Crawford, an Alabama resident, on November 23, 2011. This was one of many involving the Zimmer CR Flex implant. Her claim stated that her CR Flex implant had loosened prematurely, and as a result of this and other related Zimmer knee problems Ms. Crawford had to undergo Zimmer knee revision surgery to replace the implant. This lawsuit is not dissimilar from many other Zimmer lawsuits that have been filed across the country. 

Ms. Crawford's Zimmer knee lawsuit was moved to the Zimmer multi district litigation taking place in the U.S. District Court of the Northern District of Illinois earlier this month, on the 4th of January 2012. This move means that the case is being considered along with the other cases that have been filed based on Zimmer knee complaints from patients who have been experiencing Zimmer knee complications and side effects.

Zimmer NexGen Knee In Danger of High Rate of Failure

More than 200,000 potentially defective Zimmer NexGen knee replacement components may have been used throughout the United States, which could have caused thousands of people to experience problems or require additional Zimmer knee revision surgery due to early failure of their knee replacement. In March 2010, data was presented at a conference of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons by several prominent knee surgeons that suggested some Zimmer NexGen components may have a higher-than-expected failure rate. Surgeons reported that nearly 9% of cases they reviewed involving the use of the Zimmer NexGen CR-Flex Porous Femoral components resulted in revision surgery within two years and more than a third showed signs of loosening.

Zimmer Knee Lawyers Look to Illinois as Possible Litigation Center

Many patients of the Zimmer NexGen knee replacement system who have experienced associated complications such as Zimmer Knee failure and knee revision surgery are looking for compensation from orthopedics giant Zimmer, compensation which could help cover costs associated with complications. Damages or settlement money could help a patient handle medical bills, costs associated with revision surgery, lost wages, and loss of quality of life. At last report, there were 28 Zimmer NexGen lawsuits making their way through courts across the country, and some legal experts estimate that more than 200 could be added in the coming months.

Zimmer Knee Revision Surgery: Grounds for Legal Action?

Patients of Zimmer’s popular NexGen knee replacement system could be seeking legal action as more and more reports surface of the possible connection between the artificial joint and knee revision surgery, a complex and risky medical procedure. Zimmer knee revision surgery occurs when a knee replacement system experiences failure, and seeks to revise or replace the failed joint. However, it is complicated by issues such as scar tissue and damage to the bone around the joint from previous surgeries and the joint failure itself, making the procedure risky and increasing healing and rehabilitation time.

Zimmer Knee Implant Lawsuits Filed Over Looseness

The Zimmer NexGen LPS “high-flex” components are designed to allow a greater degree of flexion than the standard femoral component. However, plaintiffs allege that higher flexation places the knee replacement at a higher risk of loosening. In recent weeks, at least three product liability lawsuits have been filed by individuals who experienced problems with Zimmer NexGen LPS knee replacements, alleging that they required revision surgery after the artificial replacement knee systems began to loosen or fail. Experienced Zimmer knee lawyers and plaintiffs have indicated that the device maker created the image and impression that using the Zimmer NexGen knee was safe, despite the fact that the manufacturer had previous knowledge of serious injuries associated with the components.

Dr. Richard Berger Could Save Patients Money with New Procedure

Dr. Richard Berger has revolutionized knee replacement surgery by developing a minimally invasive method of replacing these invaluable joints. As a result of Dr. Berger’s surgical method his patients experience greatly reduced pain and dramatically reduced recovery time compared with patients undergoing traditional hip and knee replacement surgery. In fact most of Dr. Berger’s patients are able to leave the hospital the same day of their joint replacement surgery. This should cut the patients recovery time, spent in a hospital, by%80 and, therefore, save the millions of people who undergo knee replacements surgery every year millions of dollars over all. However, there has been an alarmingly high failure rate of Zimmer knee replacement devices, requiring patients to undergo Zimmer knee revision surgery, which is a lengthy and painful process.

Studies Raise Serious Concern Over NexGen Knee

A 2010 study of 108 patients with Zimmer NexGen CR-Flex knee replacements found that the device had a failure rate of 9.3%, while 36% of patients fitted with the Zimmer knee replacement experienced significant loosening of the device. Many patients require a second surgery, a Zimmer knee revision surgery, which is a painful, lengthy process. According to the data collected by the knee specialists who conducted the study, the complications that occurred in Zimmer knee replacements were not related to the surgeon, surgical procedure, or type of patient. Last summer, the New York Times reported on two physicians, Dr. Berger and Dr. Della Valle, from Rush Hospital in Chicago, Illinois. Dr. Berger was a former consultant of Zimmer who implanted a number of flex knees. However, he found an unacceptably high rate of failure of nearly 10% and the need for Zimmer replacements for the flex knees. If Berger's estimates are accurate, then there could be thousands of Zimmer replacements needed in the future.

Defendants Likely Oppose Zimmer Knee Multidistrict Litigation

Although a statement has not yet been released by the company, it is likely that orthopedic device manufacturer Zimmer will oppose a recent motion filed with the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation looking to consolidate Zimmer knee lawsuits into a multidistrict litigation case. The motion, which was filed on June 7th by the lawyer for Zimmer knee plaintiff Fred Stone, would be beneficial to plaintiffs if it were to be passed.

Lawyers Investigate Zimmer Knee Failure Cases

Experienced Zimmer knee lawyers have been reviewing potential claims for over a year on behalf of individuals who have experienced problems with a Zimmer knee replacement. Individuals may be entitled to compensation and benefits through a Zimmer NexGen knee replacement recall lawsuit as a result of the manufacturer’s failure to adequately test and research their device or warn about the risk of problems.

Zimmer Knee Recall Affects Hundreds

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.

Zimmer Knee Failure Rates Increasing

In 2008, Zimmer Holdings, Inc., a medical device maker who is considered a leader in the field of hip and knee replacements, issued a public Zimmer knee recall on its NEXGEN MIS Total Knee System. MIS means minimally invasive surgery. The Zimmer recall occurred after the device appeared to potentially have broken during surgeries leaving fragments of metal in patients’ knees. Later, Zimmer clarified the recall by citing that the minimally invasive surgery instrument was what was recalled not the knee implant itself.
More recently, a study was published that suggested that this particular NexGen implant itself was failing at a high rate. The publication was titled, “The High Failure Rate of a High-Flex Total Knee Arthroplasty Design”. Since it was brought to market, more than 150,000 of these implants have been sold, and new data suggests that while they were originally projected to last around 15 years, a large percentage have failed in three years or less. Zimmer knee failure rates are increasing in high numbers.
This past March, the results of a study were presented at an American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons conference that indicated that 36 percent of NexGen patients examined after two years showed signs of the replacement loosening. Indeed, the Australian National Joint Replacement Registry reported 120 revision procedures on Zimmer recipients since 2004. In the face of these data, Zimmer Holdings claims surgeons negligently implanted the devices or chose the used the wrong devices for their patients. This has raised a problem in that a recall was never officially requested outside of the company, leading many to take legal action without knowing where the blame lies. Victims of Zimmer knee failure should contact an experienced Zimmer knee lawyer as soon as possible to ensure proper representation in filing a lawsuit.

Zimmer Knee Lawsuit, Possible Recall

Zimmer Inc. is acting both as plaintiff and defendant in various lawsuits taking place in state and federal courts across the country. The first cases were those that patients of their Zimmer knee replacement device filed when they experienced serious side effects associated with the joint replacement device, including pain and swelling as well as difficulty walking. Zimmer patients, understandably upset about these side effects, have been filing lawsuits against the medical device manufacturers in order to gain some kind of compensation for their injuries. Compensation of this type will help take care of medical
bills, wages lost, and other costs related to these Zimmer knee side effects.

Zimmer Seems Unfazed By Knee Problems

Although several lawsuits against them are currently being evaluated by personal injury lawyers, billion-dollar company Zimmer Holdings does not seem to be showing too much damage from allegations that their knee replacement systems are fallible and manufactured poorly. The company, which is the fourth largest orthopedic and spine device manufacturer in the world, is based in Warsaw, Indiana and reported profits of $4.2 billion in 2010 despite reports of failure associated with one of their popular products.
DePuy Orthopedics, Stryker, and Medtronic companies are all ahead of Zimmer in revenue. Each of these United States-based companies is facing its own set of public relations issues having to do with the effectiveness of or complications related to some of their products, much like Zimmer.

Zimmer Knee Replacement Failure Proven in Many

The side effects of Zimmer knee replacements have long been known by patients of the implant – pain and difficulty moving sometimes require Zimmer knee revision surgery – as they are the ones who have suffered through difficulty and side effects, sometimes starting as soon as the patient receives the implant. Now these patients are finally getting some recognition from the medical community, namely Doctors Richard Berger and Craig J. Della, who presented their study which associated Zimmer knee replacements with high rates of knee implant failure. The most commonly affected system was the Zimmer NexGen CR-Flex knee implant.

Zimmer Knee Lawsuit Settlements Up in the Air

Zimmer Holdings, manufacturer of the Zimmer NexGen CR-Flex knee replacement device, has been inundated with lawsuits regarding the product due in part to studies that outline the elevated risk for complications associated with this device as opposed to similar devices on the market. It is unclear whether or not there will be Zimmer settlements out-of-court with any plaintiffs, so for the time being legal proceedings are moving forward as planned. One question on the mind of many plaintiffs is how much money they stand to receive in compensation for their injuries and side effects endured as a result of the joint replacement device. The short answer is that it depends on the plaintiff.
Since different plaintiffs will have different experiences and different side effects related to the joint replacement device, many factors will be taken into account when determining what is appropriate Zimmer Knee compensation. For example, if injury sustained as a result of the NexGen system has prevented the plaintiff from continuing his or her career, this fact will likely be taken into account in the payout. Other factors that will be considered include medical and legal expenses, loss of ability to spend time with family or complete other activities, pain and suffering, and wages lost. Patients who have had to undergo a revision surgery to attempt to correct the problems caused by the faulty device will likely have that factored in as well. Overall, patients could win as much as several million dollars from Zimmer lawsuits, which pits the patient victims up against one of the largest orthopedics manufacturing companies in the world.
Patients have endured loosening of the artificial joint in unprecedented numbers, which can lead to pain and difficulty standing or walking – symptoms that mimic conditions that necessitate a knee replacement in the first place. Potential plaintiffs should not hesitate to contact a Zimmer knee lawyer to decide whether or not to file suit against the company.

Zimmer Knee Lawsuit Backlash

Zimmer Holdings, manufacturer of a knee replacement system that has been surrounded by a series of lawsuits since a significant number of patients developed serious complications due to Zimmer Knee failure, has fired back at legal firms who have contributed to the suits against them. The lawsuit states that defendants are making false claims about the product and defaming the company, leading to a loss in income for the corporation. They say that the assertions patients and lawyers are making about the failure rate of the product as well as the side effects and other defects are exaggerated or false. The company is also claiming that generic statements made by legal firms, such as “Zimmer knee problems” or “Zimmer NexGen failure”, are misleading because only a particular component has been shown to cause adverse effects.

Controversial Surgeon’s Dismissal

Producer of joint replacement devices, Zimmer Inc. is surrounded by controversy regarding the device quality and safety of their NexGen CR-Flex cementless total knee replacement implant. There is also controversy regarding how it parted ways with one of its top consultants, Dr. Richard A. Berger, after complaints of Zimmer knee failure.