Mesothelioma Legal Advice

As American’s life expectancies grow longer, more and more of our body parts are wearing out before we do. One of the first and most common to go are our joints, especially those located at our hips. Because of years of activity, these joints can become worn down as we age, and must be replaced medically. It’s become a very common procedure, and it’s likely that you or an older loved one has had a hip replaced. If so, read on please, because there is important information you need to know about hip replacement that have been recalled as faulty, made by the manufacturer Zimmer Durom.

There could be a large number of reasons that your loved one, or even yourself, needed to receive a hip replacement made by Zimmer Durom. The procedure, which is known as either hip arthroplasty, or hip replacement more commonly, involves removing the original hip joint and replacing it with an artificially manufactured one. This process is done for a number of reasons, including arthritis pain, located in the joint, the normal wear and tear on the joint because of age, and as part of the treatment for a hip fracture.

There have been modern hip replacement surgeries for almost 40 years, leading most people to believe that it is a completely safe procedure, because it is so common place. There can be surprising complications however, like the recall involving Zimmer Durom. A normal hip replacement involves three parts, all designed to work for you like a natural hip joint. The first is a metal piece which mimics the femur bone. Attached to that is a piece that works as the natural hip joint would. Keeping it all in place are either metal screws or bone cement.

If you have had hip replacement surgery, than you know that one of the biggest problems is the need for revision, or further surgery to solve problems with the prosthesis. This can cause serious damage to a patient’s ability to walk, and is painful, time consuming, and expensive. The Zimmer Durom device was marketed exactly for its ability to avoid this problem, and to last longer than most prosthetics, so that younger patients could wear the device for the rest of their lives. However, in one study, 12 percent of patients needed revision in under two years, causing a medical community outcry.

Zimmer holdings has released a recall of their Zimmer Durom cup hip implant.  There are Zimmer hip lawsuits pending in multiple states across the US.  If you or a loved on has been subject to a Zimmer Durom implant, then you may want to contact a Zimmer Hip Lawyer to see if you have a case.

Though Zimmer Durom has maintained that this high failure rate is caused by surgeon error, it pulled the replacement from the market in July 2008 after its own internal study found that 8 percent of the devices needed revision in two years. This has let many doctors and lawyers to believe the issue is with the replacement.

If you or a loved one received a Zimmer Durom hip replacement, something your doctor will know, you may have the right to join a class action law suit, even if your replacement has not yet failed.. Be wary of signing anything by Zimmer Durom, as that may be a release taking away this right.

Related External Posts

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• U.S Law Firms: Zimmer Durom Hip Replacements Have High Failure Rate
• Zimmer Durom Cup Hip Implant Lawsuit Settlement
• Zimmer Hip Implant Recalled, Can You Sue? « Medical Malpractice …

During 2006 and 2007, 12,000 Americans had hip replacement surgery and had a Zimmer Durom Cup implanted in one or both hips. Since that time, almost 6% of these devices have failed. Patients have complained of a great deal of pain after they should have been completely healed, and doctors have found that their hip implants have become loose or even migrated from where they should be. Because of these problems, patients are facing expenses caused by extra medical costs and a loss of wages. Zimmer has not come out and admitted its liability, but as patients file lawsuits against them, they have been making some settlements.

In October, 2008 Zimmer announced that it had reserved $47.5 million to pay for claims filed against them. Many physicians aren’t so sure that the implant is as good as the company says it is. In fact, when Zimmer offered online training to doctors in order to teach them what they said were more precise techniques for performing the implant surgery, half of the doctors refused to participate. Thus, the entire situation continues to be stressful for everyone involved, but none more than the hundreds of patients who are facing revision surgery due to problems with their implant coming loose in the socket.

These suffering patients definitely deserve some help and restitution which is why product liability lawyers are encouraging them to file lawsuits. Zimmer has been paying some of these claims, too. However, even if the money they are being offered seems like a lot to them, in many cases patients are settling too quickly and without provision being made for ongoing problems in the future. Without waiting to find out what an actual case is worth, people may find themselves paying thousands of dollars out of pocket when further complications arise.

Zimmer holdings has released a recall of their Zimmer Durom cup hip implant.  There are Zimmer hip lawsuits pending in multiple states across the US.  If you or a loved on has been subject to a Zimmer Durom implant, then you may want to contact a Zimmer Hip Lawyer to see if you have a case.

Anyone who thinks they may have a claim against Zimmer needs to start checking into it. If you think you might qualify, you can call attorney to find out for sure. Look for one that operates nationwide and specializes in litigation against defective medical devices. This law firm has even set up a special division to research and process claims against Zimmer and secure equitable settlements for their clients. Of course, if you’d prefer, you can also contact a local law firm that handles product liability lawsuits.

If your orthopedic surgeon tells you that you’re going to need revision surgery to correct your Zimmer Durom hip replacement device, contact an attorney right away. Your attorney will take the steps that are necessary to preserve information about your revision that will prove the liability Zimmer has in your case. If you agree to a settlement without having an attorney, the amount you get will only be a fraction of what lawyers estimate these cases are going to ultimately be worth.

Once your lawyer tells you that you have a case, be prepared to wait in order to get the best settlement you can possibly get. Take the advice your attorney offers you and don’t demand speedy restitution. You may end up losing a lot of money if you aren’t willing to be patient.