Zimmer Hip Implant Lawsuits Could Be Fruitful

July 11, 2011 • 6:55 pm

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Many of the 90,000 Zimmer Durom Cup hip replacement system recipients worldwide have filed Zimmer Hip lawsuits against the orthopedics giant in order to win damages that could cover some of the potentially significant costs associated with complications linked to the hip replacement system. Some patients have had to undergo expensive and painful hip revision surgery in order to remove and replace the failed hip replacement system. Still others have had to live with the pain of a failed implant.

The Durom Cup hip replacement system is a metal-on-metal hip replacement system – and that alone may be part of the problem. The Food and Drug Administration has initiated several nationwide recalls and suspensions of metal-on-metal joint replacement systems, and many of them have involved hip implant failure. Just last August, DePuy Orthopedics, a rival company to Zimmer, was forced to recall their ASR metal-on-metal system after it was discovered that many patients were suffering from metallosis, a condition caused by the shedding of metal ion’s into a patient’s bloodstream. This occurs when the two parts of the metal-on-metal system rub against one another, shedding microscopic pieces of metal that can get into a patient’s bloodstream and tissues surrounding the joint and cause problems such as pain and inflammation. Patients are suffering from Zimmer Hip implant failure, requiring a second surgery to correct the device.

Although the metal-on-metal hip replacement system may be inherently dangerous, 1 in 3 hip replacements in 2008 involved a metal-on-metal device. In the past ten years, it is estimated that 500,000 Americans have received such a device. Although only a small percentage of these patients have Zimmer to blame for the side effects they may have suffered, the orthopedics company has set aside almost $150 million to deal with lawsuits related to their Durom Cup hip replacement system. This shows that they are ready to deal with damages they may have to pay or settlements they will negotiate with the thousands of Durom Cup patients that may file suit.

Any patient with a metal-on-metal hip implant that has experienced side effects as a result of the device should consult a an experienced Zimmer Hip lawyer as soon as possible about filing a lawsuit. This could be the best – and sometimes only – way to be compensated for medical costs, lost wages, and pain and suffering.

Filed under: zimmer hip implant complications, zimmer hip lawsuit, zimmer hip lawsuit settlements

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