How Joint Replacement Surgeries Have Become More Dangerous

DePuy Knee Lawsuit News

Are joint replacement systems keeping pace with other technological advancements?

Monday, June 12, 2017 - Anytime you are forced to undergo invasive surgery you are putting your life at risk for permanent injury or even death. Surgery in and of itself entails the risks of infection as well as the complications of anesthesia. It has been said that surgery itself is one of the leading causes of death amongst Americans. Nobody wants to have surgery let alone be forced to have a second surgery to repair the malfunctions of the first.

Many people were advised to undergo knee replacement surgery for arthritis of the knee in cases of osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and post-traumatic arthritis, all of which occur due to aging, physical injuries, or genetic predisposition. In addition to this surgery being overzealously advised, the knee replacement itself has proven to be defective and many patients have had to have a second dangerous surgery to repair or even totally replace the original Knee implant because it causes a lack of stability, infections, allergic reactions, chronic pain and sometimes total catastrophic failure. Central to the malfunction of the knee replacement was a part called the "Articulation Surface" which has been the subject of a total recall in June of 2016 by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

According to the FDA in their official recall notice, the official product name is the CONV FB CR ARTICULATION SURFACE. The FDA describes the use of the product as: "The Tibial Articulation Surface Trial snaps together with the Shim component to function as the Insert Trial during a total knee replacement. A Balseal is attached to each of the two post features on the Articulation Surface to provide a connection force between the Tibial Articulation Surface and Shim to ensure secure engagement between the components."

The reason for the recall is alarming. "Potential for the Balseal, a small wire spring coil located on the post feature of the Knee Tibial Articulation Surface Instruments used in trialing to become damaged and disassociate (come off). If the Balseal is separated from the post, it has the potential to enter the surgical site and be left in the patient if the surgeon is unaware of the disassociation."

What this all means is that a small wire coil that was supposed to be removed prior to culminations of the surgical procedure was being left in the knee implant because the surgeon was not made aware that it should be removed. Leaving the wire coil in the artificial knee joint is tantamount to leaving torn cartilage debris in an injured knee to begin with. And the problems of lack of knee joint stability, locking and tearing, and being unable to bear weight without pain are similar as well.

It is hard to say how many surgeons were uninformed as to the removal of the coil, but it is safe to say that this could be one of the reasons for the knee replacement's malfunction. The company that manufactures the Knee Replacement, DePuy Orthopaedics, is the subject of hundreds of lawsuits from individuals that are suffering the consequences of having the knee replacement implanted. If you or a loved one has had the knee replacement implanted and are suffering from any side effect such as lack of stability, chronic pain, allergic reactions, or serious infection, call the personal injury attorneys at Onder, Shelton, O'Leary & Peterson, LLC are experienced and knowledgeable in handling Knee Replacement personal injury claims in all 50 states.

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