Frustrated Plaintiffs Continue to File Zimmer NexGen Lawsuits

August 1, 2013, 2:30PM. By Gordon Gibb

Dallas, TXLawsuits alleging problems with Zimmer Knee Replacement are now up over 1,000 and climbing. The issues are many, from the disappointment that a device intended to last 15 years or more fails sometimes within months, to the pain involved and the inconvenience of having to go through revision surgery to have a problematic device removed.

The latter issue is one to which insufficient attention is paid. Historically, knee and hip replacements were the bastion of the elderly, who required joint replacement just to get to the bathroom and back.

Today’s Zimmer NexGen Knee Replacement candidates tend to be younger and much more active - and desiring to maintain that active lifestyle for years, even decades to come. Americans also tend to be working longer now, either delaying retirement or taking up a new career once retired from a primary career.

For them, a Zimmer knee replacement recall is the last thing they want to hear. It’s also the last thing they think of, given the widespread view that new is always better.

However, for many, this is not the case - and the need for a subsequent procedure due to Zimmer knee replacement problems is not only a surprise, but a hardship. Replacing an allegedly defective implant is often more complicated than the initial procedure, requiring even more healing time. For the modern American who is overall healthier, more active and more capable of continuing in a career than a previous generation, the fallout can be devastating.

Little wonder there are lawsuits over Zimmer knee implants. According to a PRWeb Newswire release (7/30/13), one plaintiff filed a NexGen lawsuit May 20 in US District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri after the Zimmer NexGen knee he received in 2009 developed problems and he required revision surgery two years later to remove and replace the problematic implant (case no. 4:2013cv00957).

Then in June, a couple filed a NexGen lawsuit in US District Court for the Northern District of Texas alleging that Zimmer NexGen Knee Replacement caused the wife much pain and suffering (case no. 4:2013cv00459). In this instance, the Zimmer knee lasted longer than some: six years. The plaintiff underwent Zimmer knee replacement surgery in 2005 and required revision surgery in 2011. Still, six years is far below the 15-year benchmark generally observed as the lifespan for knee replacement devices.

As of July 10, there were 1,014 NexGen lawsuits pending in Multidistrict Litigation (MDL 2272, US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois).