Zimmer knee replacement has been sought by people who experienced knee failure and injuries. Zimmer has always been a trusted partner in the medical health care industry providing the best treatment for musculoskeletal heath. It is one of the key manufacturers of high-technology joint and knee replacements. With nearly over a century of proficient health care in helping patients experiencing hip, elbow and knee problems, as well as other related injuries, Zimmer is widely known for creating high-technology replacements and implants that needed major surgeries to apply.
However, in recent years, for thousands of Zimmer implants that surgeons have used in the respective injury procedures, there have been reported incidents of patients suffering from hip and knee failure. The ratio of related replacement failures is significantly high and considered unacceptable in the medical community. Investigations prompted that the main source of placement failures was due to the design flaws.
The placement design or technology that Zimmer used did not match the body composition of patients which resulted in the failure of the patients’ mobility. These patients have reported moderate to excruciating pain whenever they move, considering they have undergone surgical knee replacements. This could have meant near perfect recovery then. There are already a growing number of orthopedic surgeons who are calling for a replacement knee recall for such products.
Likewise, patients and families of those who were victims of this scenario have already filed Zimmer knee replacement lawsuit cases against the company for producing such harmful artificial knee. Lawyers, on the other hand, are encouraging those who have suffered the same plight to come out in the open and file fight for their right through filing a case against Zimmer.
Information about Zimmer Knee
Zimmer is considered to be a pioneering company that provides quality knee implant and replacement solutions to patients suffering from various related knee problems and injuries. Its products are designed to relieve pain, improve the flexibility of patients, as well as their quality of life. As a giant company engaged in the manufacture of knee replacements, it struggles to maintain its quality standards by giving its patients safe and effective products. Their rehabilitative solution is called Zimmer NexGen knee replacement system. The company boasts of this corrective replacement system as the best in the world. It is the choice of a great number of orthopedic surgeons for the replacement knee surgeries. It is a fact that one of the most successful surgical operations is the joint replacement surgery. Hence, patients should not consider thoughts about any possible knee surgery. It has been proven that Zimmer nexgen knee replacement products are some of the best among other replacement systems of other manufacturing companies.
Zimmer has pointed out a difference of the knee replacement device among women based on their findings about the physical nature of women to be exact. Females are different from males in terms of physical features. It has been said that the frontal bone structure of a woman’s knee is less pronounced than that of a man’s. The traditional implants may have been bulky and painful when moved, resulting in a decreased motion. Females, likewise, have a different angle between the hip and knee. The knee and the hip positioning should be considered because the angle between them affects the way the kneecap moves over the thigh bone when moving the knee. Another reason why Zimmer has to create another replacement fitting for women is because most females have a much slimmer bone structure than men’s. If traditional replacements were to be fitted against women, the tendency is that it could overhang their bones, which could aggravate the knee injury. Likewise, it can add further harm to the surrounding ligaments and tendons.
Likewise, Zimmer was the first manufacturer to discover the difference between men and women, in terms of their knee structures. This discovery has led Zimmer to create a knee replacement system designed to fit the contour of a woman, which is called Zimmer gender solutions High-Flex Knee. This is favorable to women knee patients as its special Zimmer components are designed solely to be used by women. The flex knee system is different from implants of other manufacturers because it has a narrower profile. In effect, it permits women to do their usual activities because it has solved the difference between the hip to the knee angles. Furthermore, the Zimmer gender solutions have a more contoured shape which allows a perfect fit in women’s anatomies.
The Zimmer Uni-high flex is a Zimmer knee product created for those who have partial knee damage and could no longer do their usual activities because of pain when movement is done. This knee implant could accommodate deep knee bending called high flexion, which could be as flexible as 155 degrees for those who are able to achieve it. The implant involves a minimal invasive technique which preserves patients’ natural pain anatomies. This results in them getting back to their normal lives faster than those who are undergoing traditional knee-revision surgery.
The Zimmer Gender Solutions System is created to use Zimmer minimally-invasive solutions, which allow knee implant procedures to produce small incisions. Such incisions are meant to lessen the damage of the soft tissue. This also proves the potential for a quick recovery from patients. The procedure is done to accommodate differences between male and female knee anatomy. An important thing to note is that a patient should not decide solely into having this kind of implant. Only the doctor decides if the patient will undergo such surgery.
Zimmer Knee Side Effects
For those who belong to the group of patients who have supposedly benefited from a Zimmer NexGen LPS-Flex or CR-Flex femoral part in connection with their replacement knee surgery, most of them might have been experiencing numerous knee problems and injuries. The NexGen CR-Flex actually became one of the best-selling knee prostheses that belong to its unique class. However, just after a few years, many orthopedic surgeons, as well as patients started noticing severe Zimmer knee side effects. They include loosening of the artificial knee, as well as chronic joint pain. Because of this, some patients have contemplated on a Zimmer knee replacement lawsuit and claim against the manufacturer. Because of the steadily-growing issue, prominent orthopedists have urged Zimmer to address that issue by recalling NexGen CR-Flex implant devices from the market. Zimmer Holdings refused to heed, and was adamant about the effectiveness of its product.
Meanwhile, there have been steady reports about patients experiencing complications brought about by Zimmer NexGen CR-Flex. As it is, all knee joint replacement systems can create adverse side effects for the patients, like infecting, joint stiffness, and clotting. However, such complications stem from identified risks usually associated with conventional joint replacement surgery. This only means that such complications are not caused by the implant design. Some users of the implant complained about the development of severe pain around the joint area after implantation; this makes any activity or movement that places pressure on the prosthesis painful. Other individuals have reported that the femoral parts have become unusually loose. This causes a lack of stability, increasing the possibility of a difficult and painful dislocation.
Zimmer manufacturing company maintains that such side effects result only from inappropriate selection of the candidate and improper knee surgical techniques. However, the failure rate that was documented for CR-Flex is not consistent with the claim of the manufacturer. At nine percent, the Zimmer failure rate is higher than the average for the entire industry. Such data was made public by former Zimmer official and expert orthopedic surgeon, Richard A. Berger.
Dr. Berger was able to examine more than hundred patients who took advantage of the Zimmer CR-Flex knee replacement. Nine from the group had to undergo revision surgery after only two years of getting the knee implant. Revision surgery is done, when tibial or femoral part becomes loose that it had to be replaced by a new one. On the other hand, 36 percent of recipients reported loosening and pain around the area. These findings were announced by Berger at a conference held by the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons. Later that same year, a leading New York newspaper reported on the doctor’s failure rate results for the Zimmer NexGen CR-Flex.
What happens to the knee when implant problems worsen? A possible solution to a failure in knee implant is revision surgery, during which the failed device is taken out and replaced by a new component. The surgery is complicated and can pose risks, in addition to those from the first arthroplasty. Removal of defective part can possibly result in some form of bone damage. Orthopedic doctors usually urge patients to defer revision surgery. The reason for this is that the outcome of the procedure is less successful than that of the first one.
In the latter part of 2010, the Food and Drug Administration issued a recall related to the Tibial component. This is a component that can be utilized with Zimmer NexGen LPS-Flex and CR-Flex femoral components. In relation to this, a number of prominent orthopedists gave a report to the AAOS, which expressed their concerns in the use of MIS-Stemmed Tibial component. Initially, the manufacturer answered back with an urgent gadget correction, alerting doctors that implantation of the product without using the component was not possible. Ultimately, Zimmer issued a recall that directly affected the Tibial component. For people who experience pain in the knee area, loosening of joints, or any other Zimmer knee replacement side effects, they may be candidates to receive financial compensation for any related knee injuries. People who believe that they have been injured by a Zimmer knee replacement can contact a Zimmer knee replacement lawsuit lawyer to discuss possible compensation and settlement options.
Zimmer Knee Verdicts/Settlements
Despite knee recalls and a growing number of Zimmer knee replacement lawsuits, as well as a concern about Zimmer components, there is little effort to merge litigation into a multidistrict litigation, a legal procedure closely similar to a class action. Multidistrict litigation essentially consolidates a number of similar lawsuit cases filed in various districts to bring an efficient and quick resolution to the case. MDL has seen approval for a number of defective medical gadgets, like Zimmer Durom Cup hip replacement and DePuy ASR systems. In due time, however, everyone expects the MDL Judicial Panel will issue approval of consolidation for Zimmer knee claims.
Currently, however, there is no sufficient number of Zimmer knee replacement lawsuits that await trial to merit possible consolidation. While, it is almost not possible to determine the number of claims currently filed in the United States judicial system, there are less than ten Zimmer knee lawsuits that await trial. However, Zimmer knee attorneys are now evaluating a sizeable number of lawsuits of some knee replacement recipients who have declared knee problems. Such cases are certainly growing in number. Initial Zimmer knee verdicts and settlements that were formed might delay the need for merging. As it is, once plaintiffs are able to file Zimmer knee lawsuit, the manufacturer automatically seeks to arrive at Zimmer knee replacement settlements. While settlements might be of less value than the compensation awarded by jury, they are quick and guaranteed.
Indeed, there is the possibility that Zimmer knee lawsuit settlements have already transpired. Settlement agreements are always confidential; which is a primary reason why dependants are willing to agree with settlements. Nobody certainly wants a publicized trial, in which trade secrets or nasty side effects information is announced to the public. Zimmer knee lawsuit verdicts and settlements will permit a defendant to do away with the difficulty of litigation in a fast and quiet manner.
Individuals who believe they are eligible to file Zimmer knee replacement lawsuits are those who underwent Zimmer knee replacement and later experienced knee pain, implant sounds, difficulty in walking or untimely knee revision surgery. They should talk to a lawyer who can help them on how to go about filing a Zimmer knee replacement lawsuit to receive due compensation from their suffering and injury.
