Articles Posted in Defective Medical Devices

All across the United States and even in Tennessee, many people have heard about the problems with Zimmer hip and knee replacement devices. People have suffered pain and problems because of these medical devices and may have even required more surgery to fix or replace the device. Even surgeons who perform the Zimmer NexGen Knee Replacement surgeries have warned the Zimmer Company about problems and defects with the device. If you or someone you care about has received a Zimmer NexGen Knee replacement and experienced pain or problems because of it, you should speak with a Tennessee Zimmer recall lawyer right away. They will hear your case and make sure you get the compensation you deserve for your pain and problems.

According to online resources, Dr. Richard A Berger installed Zimmer knee replacements into his patients and designed surgical tools and artificial joints for Zimmer holdings as well as trained doctors to use Zimmer products and promoted Zimmer products for over ten years. Zimmer paid him more than $8 million over the last ten years. Following this, Dr. Berger informed Zimmer that the NexGen artificial knee replacement was defective and failing too soon. Dr. Berger went on to publish a study that proved the defect in the Zimmer knee replacement. Dr. Berger is not the only surgeon who was concerned about these replacement devices. Other surgeons had warned the Zimmer company years ago about these problems.

The Zimmer Company blamed the defects and problems of its hip and knee replacements on the surgeon’s technique instead of on their product. The NexGen knee replacement requires the use of adhesives to hold the thigh bone to the part of the knee replacement that bends. However, many surgeons are cautious about using adhesives because they can break done and cause failures. Zimmer’s replacement uses a version that does not have adhesives and requires the bone to naturally fuse with knee implant. This has and can lead to knee replacement failures, revision surgery to replace the device, loosening of the device, knee and joint pain, and difficulty when walking or standing.
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In Tennessee and across the United States, millions of people have heard about the hip replacement recalls. They have been advertisements on TV, in newspapers, and even online. Many people have been affected by these hip replacement recalls experiencing pain and other problems and even needing more surgery to fix the problem. If you or someone you know has experienced pain or problems after receiving a hip replacement then your hip replacement could be part of the recall and you should speak with a Tennessee hip replacement recall lawyer as soon as possible. They will hear your case and help you to get the compensation you deserve for your pain and suffering.

In this case, a federal lawsuit has been filed against the hip replacement manufacturer Zimmer when Francoie Stephens saw a television advertisement involving the recall of DePuy hip replacement devices. According to the lawsuit Stephens claims he had hip replacement surgery in 2007 and had a Zimmer Durom hip replacement. He claims that he had no reason to believe the device was defective until he saw the advertisement about the DePuy recall in September of 2010.

When Stephens speak with an attorney he found out about the possible defects related to his type of medical device. In 2011, Stephens had to have surgery to have the hip replaced because of problems such as rising levels of cobalt chromium contamination from the breaking down of his device. Zimmer has been accused of not informing Stephens of the problems related to the device and for negligently and carelessly continuing to design and make the device when it had one or more defects which made it dangerous and inadequate to use. Stephens is seeking damages for pain and suffering, physical distress and injury, medical expenses, shame and humiliation, inability to lead a normal life, loss of enjoyment of life, disability, punitive damages, mental anguish, court costs and interest.
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In Tennessee and all across the country and even the world, we have all heard reports about the Depuy hip implant recall and the millions of claims about them since the recall in August of 2010. Many people have experienced pain and problems and even needed additional surgery to fix or replace their implants. If you or someone you love have had pain or hip problems since your implant and think you may have a Depuy hip implant, you should talk to a Tennessee Depuy hip implant recall lawyer right away. They will hear your case and work with you to make sure you get the compensation you deserve.

Online sources have reported that people that have received a defective Depuy hip implant may be allowed to file a Depuy hip implant recall lawsuit. These lawsuits could provide compensation for medical bills, lost wages, as well as for pain and suffering. The implants in the recall are the AS XL Acetabular System and the AS Hip Resurfacing systems which were recalled after they failed at an abnormal rate and put patients at risk of pain and the need for additional surgery. According to information from the recall, the implants were failing at a rate of twelve to thirteen percent in five years.

The Food and Drug Administration has also warned that patients who received the implants could suffer injuries due to the metal on metal design of the implants, including injuries to the soft tissue. According to the FDA when the metal components of the implant rub together, tiny metal ions could be released into a patient’s bloodstream and cause injuries to the heart, nervous system, and thyroid gland. If the Food and Drug administration determines that these designs are a possible high risk, many people could be at risk, including people that may not have experienced problems with their implant failure early on.
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In Tennessee and all over the United States, consumers expect that when they get medicine it will come with appropriate warning labels about the possible side effects they may experience. Consumers also expect that if this is not done properly that the courts will hold companies responsible for these mistakes. However, in some cases this does not happen. If you have suffered a side effect from a medicine that was improperly labeled, you should speak with a Tennessee defective product and dangerous drug lawyer as soon as possible. They will hear your case and work with you to see that you get the compensation you deserve.

In this case, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that companies that produce generic drugs which amount to seventy-five percent of all drugs given out in America, cannot face a lawsuit under state laws for not disclosing all the risks they know about the drugs they produce. According to federal law, generic drug makers have to use the exact same warning labels as name brand medicine. Some state laws require updates or changes to be made when new information or risks are discovered. This court’s ruling did not seem to care about what the generic drug makers know. State laws have to follow federal laws and federal laws say they have to have same labels, new information or not.

This court’s ruling does not seem to make sense since these federal laws are in place to help make sure generic drug makers do not forget to mention the risks that are on the name brands of the same medicine. The laws are not intended to hide information from consumers. This decision seems to be a bad one considering that safety warnings on name brand drugs should be the same on generic drugs so that no one gets hurt. The only thing that should matter is disclosing known risks about drugs should appear on labels, online, and in communications with doctors to help protect consumers from harm.
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Many people in Tennessee and across the United States have been prescribed medications such as Fosamax or other medications for treatment of their osteoporosis. Unfortunately, some of these medications are now showing evidence of femur fractures in postmenopausal women when used over a long period of time. If you or someone you care about has taken Fosamax or another osteoporosis medication and have experienced fractures or other problems, you should speak with a Tennessee dangerous drug lawyer right away. They can help answer any questions you may have and help you get the compensation you deserve.

According to evidence, Fosamax is supposed to make bones stronger but if taken for more than five years; some women could suffer from accidental fractures. This information is not changing many doctors minds about starting these medications, however, they are advising patients to take a break from the medicine after two or three years of taking them.

Sandy Potter, 59, had been taking Fosamax for almost ten years when she was outside jumping rope with the neighborhood kids and her thigh bone snapped. Many doctors have since patients with this problem that are doing low energy exercise such as just walking up steps. Fosamax has also in the past been linked to severe musculoskeletal pain and serious jaw related problems.

Even with these risks, doctors are still advising that patients take the medications because they still seem to prevent most common types of fractures, however, they have recommended that the Food and Drug Administration rewrite the medication labels to warn doctors as well as patients about the risk of possible femur fractures.
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Rick Piliponis, a Tennessee lawyer with The Higgins Firm, was recently interviewed with regard to developments in the ongoing defective hip litigation. You can watch his interview by clicking below:

 
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Tennessee residents as well as many people throughout the country have heard about the problems and suffering that the Depuy hip replacements have caused for millions of people. Many people have required a second surgery to fix the problem and this has led to additional pain and suffering as well as additional medical expenses. If you or someone you love has had problems with your hip implant and you think it may be a Depuy hip implant, then you should speak with a Tennessee Depuy hip recall and defective product lawyer right away. They will hear your case and help make sure you get the compensation you need.

In this case, a Tennessee resident filed a Depuy Pinnacle lawsuit claiming that he had to have revision surgery to remove his implant after he started experiencing problems with metal on metal implant. The lawsuit is considered a product liability complaint and was filed by Ira M. Campbell and his wife Sherry Lynn on March 8th. They claim that the hip was defectively designed and that the manufactures failed to warn them about the possible risks of Depuy Pinnacle implants.

Campbell was given the implant on May 21, 2009, and had it for less than a year before it failed which then required him to have another surgery to remove the implant on April 6, 2010. The hip according to his claims should have lasted for at least ten years. Shortly after Campbell received his implant; it started to loosen due to friction and biologic corrosion which caused him to experience very severe hip pain. Campbell also claims that the problems from the defective Depuy Pinnacle hip implant have left him with permanent injuries including having to use a cane in order to walk.
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Tennessee residents as well as many people throughout the country have heard about the problems and suffering that the Depuy hip replacements have caused for millions of people. Many people have required a second surgery to fix the problem and this has led to additional pain and suffering as well as additional medical expenses. If you or someone you love has had problems with your hip implant and you think it may be a Depuy hip implant, then you should speak with a Tennessee Depuy hip recall and defective product lawyer right away. They will hear your case and help make sure you get the compensation you need.

In this case, a Tennessee resident filed a Depuy Pinnacle lawsuit claiming that he had to have revision surgery to remove his implant after he started experiencing problems with metal on metal implant. The lawsuit is considered a product liability complaint and was filed by Ira M. Campbell and his wife Sherry Lynn on March 8th. They claim that the hip was defectively designed and that the manufactures failed to warn them about the possible risks of Depuy Pinnacle implants.

Campbell was given the implant on May 21, 2009, and had it for less than a year before it failed which then required him to have another surgery to remove the implant on April 6, 2010. The hip according to his claims should have lasted for at least ten years. Shortly after Campbell received his implant; it started to loosen due to friction and biologic corrosion which caused him to experience very severe hip pain. Campbell also claims that the problems from the defective Depuy Pinnacle hip implant have left him with permanent injuries including having to use a cane in order to walk.
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It has been suggested and argued by plaintiffs in multiple cases involving the DePuy hip recall that the company that manufactured and sold the products was aware of the unusually large number of problems associated with their new product, but failed to act quickly enough in recalling the devices.

Consequently, thousands of people have received faulty hip implants in spite of increasing numbers of problems with hip implants already in place. Compounding the problem was the company’s insistence that there was not an unusually large defect rate.

The implants in question are either the DePuy ASR Hip Resurfacing System or an ASR XL Acetabular System. The problems that have been associated with the hip stem from a breakdown in the metal of the hip implant. This breakdown has caused issues such as weakness, instability, popping, pain and in worst cases, metallosis.

Metallosis is a condition that is caused by the metal particles that are broken free from the hip implant and released into the bloodstream. Simply put, the metal that comes from the hip implant failure may be released into the blood and can cause severe problems in other bodily organs. When metal is released into the body, organs such as the liver and spleen operate to remove the impurity from your system. However, metal is not something the body can easily accommodate or remove. Long term, high levels of metal in the blood can destroy organs and cause significant health issues.
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Since the Depuy and Johnson and Johnson recalls regarding hip implants, a great deal of the focus has been on the surgical procedure that will need to be repeated to replace a faulty or defective hip. However, it is becoming apparent that another area of concern that may be overlooked is affecting a number of victims as well: Cobalt poisoning or cobaltism.
Cobalt poisoning is a bodily reaction to the metal that is breaking down in the hip implants that are the focus of this hip recall. Cobalt poisoning can lead to metallosis, a very serious condition that can lead to a breakdown in the tissue surrounding the hip joint which can reduce the likelihood that a second invasive hip replacement procedure will be successful.

Some of the more severe signs and symptoms that can be associated with cobaltism include:

• Tinnitus • Deafness • Visual Changes • Vertigo • Rashes • Hypothyroidism • Tremor • Dyspnea • Heart Failure • Mood Disorders • Dementia
These substantial injuries can be a result of the metal breaking down in the defective or faulty hip implant. It is extremely important that your doctor adequately and appropriately tests for the presence of metal in your blood if you have one of the implants in your body. That is true regardless of whether you are currently experiencing more overt symptoms associated with failure of the implant. Additionally, it is important that your attorney is aware of this type of risk when negotiating your claim.

The hip implants in question are as the ASR XL Acetabular System and DePuy ASR Hip Resurfacing System. In August 2010, the DePuy Orthopaedics company, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, issued a voluntary recall of two hip replacement systems.
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