Products Targeted in Zimmer Knee Lawsuits
Founded in 1927, American company Zimmer designs, develops, manufactures and markets several different medical device products, including knee implants. Which of these are currently targeted in Zimmer knee lawsuits proceeding in federal multidistrict litigation (MDL) in Illinois?
Components named in Zimmer knee lawsuits
In August 2011, the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML) ordered that all Zimmer knee lawsuits be consolidated and transferred to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. The products involved in these cases so far include the Zimmer NexGen CR-Flex femoral components, Zimmer NexGen MIS Tibial components, and the Zimmer NexGen LPS-Flex femoral components, all of which are alleged to cause premature loosening that often requires revision surgery.
A 2010 report written by a prominent orthopedic surgeon on “high-flex” knee implants revealed that 36 percent of 108 patients who received the company’s CR-Flex models, experienced loosening of the device after just two years.
Components named in 2010 Zimmer NexGen knee recall
In September 2010, Zimmer announced a recall of certain NexGen MIS Tibial Components because of their potential to loosen prematurely and cause pain, instability, infection, and osteoarthritis. The only components involved in that Zimmer NexGen knee recall were the NexGen TM Tibial Trays, NexGen MIS Tibial Components, and MIS Modular Tibial Plates and Keels. The Zimmer NexGen knee recall involved approximately 65,000 devices that could have been used in various NexGen knee systems, including the NexGen CR-Flex and LPS-Flex. In 2011, the FDA updated its website to reveal all information relevant to that NexGen knee recall.
Later, in December 2010, another Zimmer NexGen knee recall involved a pair of femoral components used in the Zimmer NexGen LPS system. Zimmer voluntarily recalled only a few hundred of those items due to manufacturing defects.
Will a Zimmer knee lawyer consider other products?
Zimmer produces an entire family of NexGen knee products designed to provide surgeons with several options for dealing with different patients who have different needs. These include not only those named in the MDL Zimmer knee lawsuits, but other products like the regular CR and LPS (not the “flex” versions); and the CRA and LCCK versions, which are used for knee revisions rather than knee replacements.
The components currently named in MDL Zimmer knee lawsuits are alleged to have loosened prematurely and caused other problems that for some, resulted in revision surgery. Most complaints about Zimmer knee problems seem to stem from just those few members of the NexGen family. A Zimmer knee lawyer can best explain what other models, if any, would qualify to join the ongoing multidistrict litigation.
