Zimmer is a medical device company that produces and manufactures various orthopedic products, including artificial implant replacements for joints and hips. Hip replacement surgery can be an incredibly beneficial procedure that can exponentially improve a person’s quality of life. However, some patients with hip replacements have reported issues with Zimmer products, most notably their hip implants featuring modular stem and neck technology.
If you have a Zimmer modular stem hip implant and have experienced pain or serious injury due to failure of the product, contact the skilled lawyers of Meinhart & Manning, PLLC. We have the experience to pursue maximum compensation for any and all damages.
Although most of Zimmer’s artificial joint and limb replacements have, for the most part, been safe to use in patients, their modular stem hip implants have come under fire for their negative affects to patient health.
Zimmer’s modular stem hip implants use a unique system of modular femoral stems and necks that allowed surgeons to adjust the length according to the affected leg, allow a more natural range of motion, and ensure greater stability in the hip. Modular stem-and-neck systems also employ a metal-on-metal connection where the neck snaps onto the femoral stem. By comparison, traditional hip implants use a metal-on-plastic connection.
The friction associated with the metal-on-metal connection has resulted in increased corrosion and wear at the junction point. When this metal debris discharges into the body, it can effectively cause a form of poisoning called metallosis, which can cause symptoms such as extreme pain even when not moving, swelling and inflammation, metal toxicity, and even bone deterioration and replacement failure.
On June 8, 2015, Zimmer Inc. officially initiated a recall for one of its hip implant products, the M/L Taper with Kinectiv Technology, made from March 31 through April 20 of the same year. According to Zimmer, the hip implant was recalled due to discovering a higher than expected amount of manufacturing debris on the products.
Despite a formal recall being initiated, instances of Zimmer modular stem implants still remain in patients to this day. As a product liability case, Zimmer may be held liable for the safety and health of thousands of patients with their modular stem replacements.
A recall may officially remove the implants from production, but it does very little to compensate patients for their lingering problems, including costs for hospital bills, lost wages, rehabilitation, and any serious revision surgeries to remove and replace the defective hip implants.
If you are dealing with the stress and pain of a Zimmer modular stem hip implant, contact us today for a free consultation.
The experienced, compassionate attorneys of Meinhart & Manning, PLLC can assist you in all of your needs regarding damages from any Zimmer hip replacement recalls. We understand the pain and stress of a serious operation – especially if what follows is an additional operation to revise the previous error.
We have the empathy to help you in your time of need, and the experience and knowledge to go up against major medical corporations to get you the maximum compensation you deserve. Contact us today for a consultation – the first consultation is free, and you don’t pay a penny until you win your case.