June 2009 :: Tennessee Injury Lawyer Blog

June 10, 2009

Hip Replacement Issues with the Zimmer Durom Cup

Individuals who have had total hip replacement surgery involving the use of a Duron Cup, manufactured and distributed by Zimmer Holdings, Inc. may experience problems due to the failure of the device.

The Durom Cup is a metal alloy implant made from a single piece of material. The Durom Cup was used in approximately 13,000 hip replacement surgeries before it was widely discovered that there was an unacceptable fail rate. Around 5% of all surgeries using the Durom Cup resulted in complications and failures that caused patients to undergo further painful and costly surgeries. This is happening with some of our client in Tennessee and throughout the country.

In April, 2008, a prominent California Orthopedic Surgeon, Dr. Lawrence Dorr, issued a public warning after having complications following 14 of the 165 surgeries involving the Durom Cup. This warning prompted the Zimmer to investigate the hip replacement part and the packaging and instructions provided with the part.

Zimmer did not issue a recall on the product, but did stop selling the products in July, 2008. Zimmer claims that there is not a manufacturing or design defect, but will wait to reintroduce the product until it is able to develop more comprehensive instructions and product labeling.

At the Higgins firm, we represent individuals who are victims of faulty products and have suffered injuries. We offer free consultations to anyone who has had a hip replacement surgery and has developed complications due to the component parts used in the surgery. If you feel you or a loved one has been injured by a faulty product, please contact the Higgins Firm.

Posted by Jim Higgins | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Products Liability

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June 7, 2009

Tennesseans affected by Fentanyl Patch Recall

On December 31, 2008, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson recalled two lots of 50 mcg Duragesic pain patches due to potential tears in the product. If the product has a rip or tear, there is a potential for direct exposure to the powerful drug within the patch, fentanyl. Direct exposure to the fentanyl gel can result severe reactions up to and including a fatal overdose caused by the medication. Many patients throughout Tennessee and the United States received these potentially defective patches. Out Tennessee Law office has already received multiple calls with concerns.

As a result of the problems with fentanyl patches over recent years, there have been several multimillion dollars verdicts against the manufacturers in products liability cases. Products Liability law have developed to protect people from products that are flawed in either there design, development, or manufacture. Drug cases fall under the products liability umbrella because these case typically involve the defective manufacturing or defective design of the products or drugs that cause the injuries.

At the Higgins Firm, we handle cases and work with other nationally recognized firms across the country involving defective drugs and will fight for your rights. If you have been injured as a result of a leak or other problem with a duragesic pain patch, call Jim Higgins or speak to our staff.

Posted by Jim Higgins | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Defective Drugs

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June 5, 2009

Eye Injury Victims Compensated by Lens Solution Maker

Tennessee Law Blog is happy to report that, in a follow-up to an earlier TN law blog on defective product eye injuries caused by ReNu with MoistureLoc, the contact lens solution maker Bausch and Lomb has settle over 600 personal injury lawsuits to the tune of $250 million.

As discussed in another previous Tennessee Law Blog, injuries from the tainted contact lens solution were caused by a potentially blinding fungus present in the solution. The potential for fungal infection (Fusarium keratitis) was high, leading to a recall of the product. The CDC had confirmed 180 cases in 35 states as of September 2006. In Tennessee, one Tennessean had to have an eye removed, as did six other people in the U.S. To date, over 700 contact lens wearers have stepped forward with claims to have been exposed to the blinding fungal infection., some of whom have required corneal transplants to preserve vision in one or both eyes.

The culprit, keratitis, is so rare that doctors were at first puzzled by the seeming outbreak, which began in Hong Kong and reached Tennessee and other states by 2006. Eventually, the correlation was made between the potentially blinding infection and the new, multipurpose lens cleaner on the market, MoistureLoc, though the exact mechanics of why this one product caused this particular eye injury remain unclear.

Keratitis sufferers often complain of eye irritation that progresses to sudden searing pain. 2.3 million of our country’s 30 million soft contact lens wearers used MoistureLoc.

In the years since, Bausch & Lomb has marketed its older product, ReNu MultiPlus.

In Kentucky, Georgia, or Tennessee, if you have been injured by a defective consumer or medical product, contact the Higgins Firm for a fair, firm assessment of your legal situation. Contact our Nashville-based product liability lawyers online or toll-free at 800.705.2121.

Posted by Jim Higgins | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Defective Drugs, Personal Injury, Products Liability

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June 1, 2009

Dog Bite Victim the Toddler Son of Famous Linebacker

Child victims of dog bites received national media attention this week with the injury of Steelers linebacker James Harrison. Harrison’s 2-year-old son, James Harrison III, spent six days in a children’s hospital after the family dog, a pit bull, bit the boy on the thigh. There appears to be no permanent muscle or nerve damage from the dog bite.

Also injured were the bitten boy’s mother and Harrison’s massage therapist. The latter’s dog bite injury required a medical visit and stitches.

The dog bite incident reportedly occurred when the dog, outside of its pen, became agitated by the boy’s crying. The mother and massage therapist were injured when attempted to remove the attacking dog from the child. According to Harrison, the pit bull had not attacked before.

The pit bull, named Patron, was taken to Animal Control where the animal will be kept in quarantine for 10 days and then put down. Harrison wishes for the pit bull to instead be spared and find a new home with security sufficient to prevent the dog from attacking.

Harrison, famous for his two Super Bowl wins since being drafted to the Steelers in 2002, made news outside the sports arena when he refused to visit the White House with the rest of his Super Bowl XLIII-winning teammates.

Over 1,000 U.S. emergency room annually are from dog bites. Severe dog bites can require weeks of costly hospital treatment and worked missed. Bites on the face or hands or legs can require sutures (stitches) and can leave scars.

If a dog bite injury has left you facing outrageous medical bills or has affected the quality of life of you or another and would like to seek compensation, contact the Higgins Firm's Dog Bite Division of our Nashville, TN personal injury law offices.

Posted by Jim Higgins | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Personal Injury

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