Knee Replacement Failure is Starting To Get The Attention It Deserves

DePuy Knee Lawsuit News

With nearly 1 million knee replacements performed, and the annual number increasing exponentially, knee replacement complications have caught the attention of medical journalists

Wednesday, January 30, 2019 - A recent study has found that knee replacement surgery is fraught with complications that are rarely mentioned by orthopedic surgeons eager to practice their craft. According to a recent report written by NBC News, the benefits of total knee replacement may not compare to the risks. An investigative report by the new agency uncovered that around one-third (33%) of total knee replacement patients "continue to experience chronic pain, while 1 in 5 is dissatisfied with the results." In addition, the article points to a study conducted by the prestigious medical journal BMJ that determined that "knee replacement had minimal effects on quality of life, especially for patients with less severe arthritis." A 2014 study conducted by yet another medical journal, Arthritis & Rheumatology, reports that around one-third of all knee replacement patients do not have sufficient knee pain to warrant knee replacement. Artificial knee wear and tear is accelerated when a knee replacement patient is obese or overweight. Few if any knee replacement patients return to an active lifestyle and many laugh at the absurdity when asked if they feel comfortable going up or down a staircase unattended. Knee replacements usually do not last as long the doctor says or implies that they will. De-bonding, i.e, when the glue that holds the artificial knee to the tibia and femur at either end, eventually occurs in an unacceptably high number of patients leaving them immobilized and in much greater pain than most osteoarthritis sufferers. Since the knee bears more weight than any other joint and is under stress with every step we take, the mechanical components wear out over time and can leave debris in the artificial knee joint that can impair it from functioning properly. DePuy defective knee attorneys representing people harmed by knee replacement devices offer a free consultation and no obligation to filing a claim.

Of all of the potential pitfalls surrounding knee replacement,however, an infection that spreads and requires leg amputation is the most heinous. In what can only be described as a horror movie or one's worse nightmare a young man and father of two was forced to have his leg amputated above the knee after developing an infection months after having his knee replaced. The patient, 48-year old Tim Hopkins of Mason, Ohio was told that amputation was his only option and that if he left the hospital without the procedure he "would be dead in two days." After the amputation, the patient spent around a month in the hospital and three more bound to a wheelchair, unable to function in his business or enjoy his time with his family. The original rationale for replacing both of his knees was to relieve the pain caused by a high school career excelling in three sports and the degenerative effects of knee injuries whilst doing so. Hopkins had slipped and fallen, essentially damaging his artificial knee and developed the knee infection during revision surgery.

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