Zimmer Knee Replacement Lawsuits Continue to Mount

Pittsburgh, PAThere is little doubt that Zimmer Knee Replacement has proven to be a scourge for a growing number of middle-aged and senior Americans not content with living out their later years in a sedentary lifestyle. To wit, they undertake, in concert with their surgeons, the adoption of artificial knees and hips with an expectation of about 15 years of trouble-free mobility.

For many plaintiffs associated with a NexGen lawsuit, that scenario has not played out as originally hoped - and the lawsuits keep coming.

According to a PRWeb Newswire release (5/2/13), a Zimmer NexGen Knee Replacement patient filed a lawsuit earlier this year in Pennsylvania Eastern District Court alleging complications from her knee implant. The plaintiff, according to the text of the lawsuit (case no. 2:2013cv00317), required revision surgery to remove and replace the allegedly defective Zimmer device. The lawsuit was filed January 18.

The foregoing action echoes yet another, more recent Zimmer lawsuit filed April 9 of this year in Minnesota District Court (case no. 0:2013cv00828). In this case, the female plaintiff suffered complications from an allegedly defective Zimmer NexGen GSF LPS-Flex implant within two years of receiving the device in 2009. The woman required revision surgery as well.

Zimmer is among a host of manufacturers who have been in the news due to reports of allegedly defective new-age products designed and manufactured with new materials and protocols meant to allow greater mobility and flexibility while preserving the expected lifespan that historically has approached two decades for most patients.

There have been numerous recalls, including Zimmer knee replacement recall. One of the most recent was this past fall, according to the release. Zimmer initiated a class II recall of the NexGen Stemmed Non augmentable Tibial Component due to problems associated with a cleaning operation related to the manufacturing process.

As reported by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) November 9, 2012, the washing process involving the affected components reportedly operated outside of approved parameters, resulting in the possibility of residue and residual particulate left behind on the device. The potential for allergic reactions prompted the Zimmer knee replacement recall.

Beyond this particular Zimmer NexGen Knee issue, Zimmer knee replacement problems often lead to revision surgery, which are described as more complex procedures than initial surgery for Zimmer placement. The patient also has to go through a second round of healing that can remove a patient for extended periods from a job, often putting both career and income in jeopardy.