NexGen Knee Replacement Plaintiff Alleges Two Failures within Two Years

Grand Rapids, MIAll too often, so-called improvements on a design or a process turn out to be less than reputable when compared with “the old ways” and more traditional designs. Such is the case with certain components related to Zimmer Knee Replacement.

Baby boomers advancing in years but determined to maintain an active lifestyle are opting for hip and knee replacements. The onset of arthritis and other debilitative medical conditions add further urgency to the need for joint replacement.

But “newer,” as many a NexGen lawsuit has alleged, isn’t always “better.”

According to court documents filed with the Michigan Western District Court, a plaintiff filed a Zimmer NexGen Knee Replacement lawsuit alleging injuries suffered when both knee implants failed. The lawsuit alleges the plaintiff underwent surgery to receive the Zimmer NexGen knee implants in May 2010.

It was not long before her Zimmer NexGen knee replacement was giving her trouble, requiring revision surgery on her right knee mere months after originally receiving the NexGen knee implant. Within a year, her left knee was also affected and required revision surgery.

That’s three surgical procedures spanning about two years. Even less-invasive surgical procedures for such new-age implants as the NexGen Knee can require weeks of healing, impacting a patient’s mobility, lifestyle and income. Revision surgical procedures can be more problematic and complicated than the initial surgery - and in this case, the plaintiff was made to go through the pain, suffering and inconvenience of limited mobility twice, after her Zimmer NexGen knee implants allegedly failed.

The plaintiff filed her NexGen lawsuit December 27 of last year (case No. 1:2012cv01404), and is just the latest in a series of Zimmer lawsuits numbering beyond 800 and consolidated under Zimmer NexGen knee failure multidistrict litigation (MDL No. 2272) currently ongoing in US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

It has also been reported that a Zimmer knee replacement recall was announced by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) November 26 of last year involving a class II recall of the NexGen Stemmed Nonaugmentable Tibial Component. The recall, initiated by Zimmer, was reportedly due to a cleaning operation related to the manufacturing process that may have compromised the integrity of the implant, and thereby, putting patients in harm’s way from a potential allergic reaction.

Artificial knees and hips are historically expected to last upwards of 15 years with normal use. However, in recent years, a new crop of knee and hip implants - including various Zimmer knee replacement products - have proven problematic, and are now perceived as less robust and far less reliable than their older, more traditional counterparts. There are stories of hip and knee implants failing in younger patients at a much earlier and faster rate than the older implants of their parents.

NexGen CR - specifically the CR-Flex and GSF CR-Flex - have been the subject of many a Zimmer NexGen knee lawsuit.