Lawsuits Allege Defective NexGen Knee Replacements May Require Painful Revisionary Surgery
New knee implants provide a new lease on life to many that need knee replacement surgery, but a recent wave of lawsuits filed against Zimmer Holdings, the manufacturer of NexGen knee replacements, suggest that many patients may have been implanted with defective knee replacements.
The recently filed wave of lawsuits alleges that the NexGen knee replacement implants have an atypically high failure rate. NexGen knee replacements were marketed to the public based on the premise that they offered those who were implanted a greater range of motion and increased flexibility.
The lawsuits allege that the failure rate for the defective knee implants fail and require revisionary surgery as frequently as 9 percent of the time. A number of the defective medical device lawsuits filed allege that 36 percent of patients who are implanted with NexGen knee implants experience substantial loosening of the knee during the first 12 months following the defective knee implant procedure.
Generally, the pending NexGen defective medical product knee implant lawsuits allege that an unusually high number of those implanted need painful revisionary surgery. The revisionary surgery is much more painful, more invasive and less likely to be successful because the person being implanted has less bone with which to work. There are currently lawsuits pending regarding NexGen defective knee implants in Illinois, Nevada and Minnesota.
In excess of 150,000 people received NexGen knee implants since 2003. The Zimmer NexGen CR-Flex Porous Femoral Component fastens to the bottom of the thighbone. In most knee replacement systems, a type of surgical cement is used to hold the component in position. It is alleged that the elevated rate of failure is related to the defective design of the Zimmer NexGen CR-Flex replacement knees. Zimmer claims that the knee replacement failures are connected to errors by the surgeons implanting the knees or poor selection of potential implant patients.
At a recent conference of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, surgeons provided research supporting their view that the NexGen knee replacement implants should be recalled. Dr. Richard Berger one of the authors of the study indicated that the failure rate was unacceptably high. The knee surgeons that conducted the research reviewed 108 patients and found that nine required revisionary surgery with 39 more exhibiting evidence of loosening of the implant. The researchers also indicated that it did not appear that the problems were related to surgical errors.
If you or someone you love received a NexGen knee replacement that has loosened or necessitated revisionary surgery, you may be entitled to compensation. Our Georgia defective knee replacement attorneys are available to assist clients throughout all of Georgia and the Southeast, including but not limited to Albany, Athens, Atlanta, Augusta, Columbus, Gainesville, Macon, Marietta, Rome, Roswell, Savannah, Smyrna, Valdosta, Warner Robins and all smaller cities and rural areas in the state. No matter where you are located our attorneys are just a phone call away, and we will even come to you. Call us 24 hours a day/7 days a week for your Free Consultation at 1-800-LAW-NEED (1-800-529-6333). You can also visit us online at www.montlick.com and use our Free Case Evaluation Form or 24-hour Live Online Chat.