Patients whose knee replacements failed prematurely are suing DePuy
Knee replacement surgery promises freedom from pain and mobility limitations. However, for patients who received a defective DePuy Synthes Attune device, the surgery actually resulted in more pain and suffering. These patients are now filing lawsuits against DePuy.
What’s Wrong with DePuy Knee Replacement?
According to a recent study from the Journal of Knee Surgery, the DePuy Synthes Attune knee replacement system is experiencing an “unusually high” rate of early failure. The device is supposed to last for 15 years or more, yet in many cases it fails before it has been in place for two years. The cause of this premature failure is tibial debonding. When the cement fails to bond properly with the tibial base plate, part of the device is moving loose inside the knee. This problem typically goes unnoticed for the first year or so. However, with continued normal movement problems begin to become apparent.
How Are Patients Affected?
Patients report pain when they put weight on the knee as well as decreased range of motion. Typically, revision surgery is required to correct the problem. Revision surgery is more complicated than the original knee surgery patients had to have the device implanted. Worse still from a patient’s perspective, recovery time is up to 50 percent longer. This means more time off their feet and—since over half of knee replacement recipients are under 65—more time out of work.
Patients can therefore be said to suffer three main types of damages from a defective DePuy knee replacement: medical costs for revision surgery, lost income during recovery, and of course pain and suffering.
Do You Have a DePuy Knee Replacement?
The DePuy Synthes Attune knee replacement system has been very popular for the past 6 or 7 years. According to some experts, if you had a knee replacement during this time, there’s a 10 to 30 percent chance a DePuy device was used.
You Need an Attorney with Experience in Defective Medical Device Lawsuits
If you would like to seek compensation from DePuy for the premature failure of your knee replacement, you need to have an experienced attorney on your side. The Law Offices of Larry H. Parker makes an excellent choice. We handle defective medical device lawsuits in cooperation with a nationally recognized team of law firms specializing in this area of law. We were actually involved in lawsuits related to another faulty product made by DePuy, namely the DePuy ASR Hip Implant.
If you have questions about suing the manufacturer of a defective medical device, please do not hesitate to contact us at 800-333-0000 for a free consultation.
