DePuy Blames Glue For Knee Replacement Device Failures

DePuy Knee Lawsuit News

A surgeon's inability to properly cement the DePuy Knee Replacement Device to a patient's tibia could be the reason that so many come loose

Friday, September 28, 2018 - Gluing an artificial knee joint to the tibia is a tricky endeavor, takes several critical steps, and is more suitable to be done by a carpenter than a surgeon. Tibial baseplate loosening is the number one reason the DePuy knee replacement fails and physician's inability to properly prepare the adhesive (glue) may be a contributing factor. The most common reason that the DePuy knee fails lies in the physiology between human bone tissue and the attachment of the device at the tibia. Tibial baseplate loosening is the most common reason for DePuy knee failure. DePuy blames the loosening of their artificial knee device on the cement used by physicians. "Early attempts to use acrylic cement in orthopedic surgery may have failed due to a misunderstanding about how the cement functions." DePuy goes on to advise that the glue is used to form a mechanical bond between the human tibia and the metal DePuy tibial baseplate by penetrating the bone pores and interlocking with it on a microscopic level. DePuy then goes on to admit that "knee implants are known to fail at the cement-bone interface or at the cement-implant interface." Physicians are required to mix the powdered artificial knee cement at the time of surgery. Improperly doing so can lead to the artificial knee device failing to properly adhere to the tibia bone tissue.

DePuy advised physicians that it is critical to get the ratios right between the amount of water used and the amount of powdered glue. This is called the glue's viscosity. Too much water and the glue will become runny and fail to stay where it is put or have the required strength, too little water, and the glue will be too thick to penetrate into the tibia bone tissue. Glue viscosity can also be adversely affected by changes in temperature or level of humidity. Knee replacement glue will reach its optimal state of viscosity shortly after mixing and physicians are advised to use the product as soon as possible after it does. The surface of the tibial baseplate needs to be roughened and the glue placed on it several minutes before actually implanting the device into the patient. A physician must hold the knee device in place for a period of time after the glue is applied to allow the glue cure.

Tibial loosening is far from the only reason for DePuy knee failures. Even though DePuy Synthes warns physicians that "age" must be considered, 90% of artificial knee recipients are senior citizens suffering osteoarthritis pain are simply too old to perform the physical therapy needed to adequately recover. DePuy patients also suffer from the symptoms of metal-hypersensitivity and Cobalt poisoning. Rarely are potential DePuy knee replacement patients pre-screened for metal allergies, auto-immune problems, or metal hypersensitivity. To read questions and answers information provided by some of the top DePuy knee attorneys representing patients all across the United States.

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