Judicial Panel Considers Zimmer’s “High Flex” Claims
The Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML) chose to centralize all federal Zimmer knee failure lawsuits, filed by a Zimmer knee lawyer, in a single Northern Illinois court for the purpose of coordinating and streamlining pre-trial processes.
Zimmer knee failure lawsuits question “high flex” claims
The JPML reasoned that multidistrict litigation (MDL) was appropriate since each Zimmer NexGen knee lawsuit it examined shared with the others common allegations and issues of fact. The JPML further noted that all of the Zimmer knee failure lawsuits addressed the key issue of whether the component parts of the “high flex” NexGen artificial knee, some of which are alleged to have prematurely loosened, actually provide the high flex they promise.
As the JPML concluded in its MDL order, “The [Zimmer knee failure] actions also raise factual issues as to whether the … high-flex components actually provide an individual with any increase in flexion.”
Evidence supports claims of Zimmer knee lawyer
Recent scientific research provides the groundwork for the JPML’s concern regarding Zimmer’s high flex NexGen knee implant, which has been the target of many a Zimmer NexGen knee lawsuit.
A study titled “Does the new generation of high-flex knee prostheses improve the post-operative range of movement?” was published in the British Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery in 2010. Led by Dr. R. Mehin, the research team performed a metadata analysis of previously published articles comparing standard total knee replacement (TKR) design models and high-flex TKR implants. The goal of the study was to determine whether high-flex knee devices provide an increased range of movement over standard knee implants.
Dr. Mehin concluded that Zimmer’s high-flex knee devices do not increase the post-operative maximum knee flexion compared with traditional implants. The average difference between the range of flexion between a standard design and the high-flex design was only 2.1 degrees.
“Not only is the difference not statistically significant, but more importantly it is not clinically significant,” reports Dr. Mehin. “Additional flexion of 2 degrees … has no functional advantage for the patient.”
Zimmer knee lawyer helps plaintiffs seek compensation
Patients who chose to receive one of Zimmer’s high flex TKR implants expected to have a range of motion and flexibility in their knee that would allow for a highly active lifestyle. For those who instead experienced forms of Zimmer knee failure such as early loosening and revision surgery, hiring a Zimmer knee lawyer to file a Zimmer NexGen knee lawsuit may be the only way to receive compensation for the pain and suffering of their injuries.
