Zimmer Hip Implant Recalled, Can You Sue?
For those of us who have reached a certain age, it becomes more and more obvious each day that our bodies are wearing out from overuse. For some, it can become painfully obvious. As we begin to live longer, richer lives, body parts that were designed to do the hard work of forty years are now being tested for 70, 80 or even 90 years.
A hip replacement is designed to allow the natural use of the legs during walking, sitting, or standing, allowing for more natural, comfortable movement. If you or someone you love has had a hip replacement procedure, read on for recall news about the Zimmer hip implant.
As we age, activities that we once took for granted become what can be a painful chore. Some pain and soreness is natural. As our body ages, it does not function in its peak condition. But for many, the pain associated with standing, walking, or sitting becomes unbearable because of irreversible damage to their hip joint. What were once active people become couch potatoes, unable to do even the simplest activities. And it is for these people that Zimmer hip implants targeted, to give them back some of their motion and independence, to allow them to live full and active lives.
A hip replacement can give a patient a new lease on life, and allow them to get back to their normal interests and activities. However, because it is a mechanical replacement, it does need to be replaced itself, normally within ten years. For older patients, this may not be a concern, but for a younger patient in their 50’s or 60’s, this means that one or more further difficult surgeries may be needed. The Zimmer hip implant was marketed with the promise that it was different. It was targeted to younger patients under the slogan that it would not need to be replaced itself, avoiding the need for further surgery.
However, this claim has not held up to scrutiny. In one text clinic, twelve percent of patients with the Zimmer hip implant needed to have it replaced within two years. This is an astoundingly high failure rate. It also means that the implant that was designed to last a lifetime was in fact, barely lasting at all. And patients who did not believe they would need further surgery were faced with the prospect of another surgery soon after the first.
When contacted, the Zimmer Durom Company denied that their hip implant is prone to failure. However, in their internal testing, seven percent of patients replacement’s failed within the first two years. This is a high failure rate, and was high enough that the company pulled the product in July 2008. If you have had a hip replacement, contact your doctor to ask if it was a Zimmer hip implant, because you may have the right to sue Zimmer Durom.
Tags: health and fitness, hip joint, hip replacement, hip replacement procedure, joint replaced, joints, proper hip replacement, surgery, Zimmer Hip Implant Recalled