Zimmer Hip Settlements Almost Here

It seems that Zimmer has found themselves waist deep in a pile of lawsuits. The company, which put out a defective hip replacement system in 2008, has started to receive countless lawsuits regarding their hip implants. Because of this, they have set aside $47 million dollars to pay out settlements instead of going to court.

No Settlements Yet

Even though Zimmer has placed aside $47 million dollars in order to pay for settlements, there still have been no publicly announced settlements. However, the payouts are just around the corner, because patients are still coming forward to this day, complaining about Zimmer and their implants, and complaining about the extreme pain and swelling that they are feeling.

Zimmer Hip Replacement Problems

So how exactly did all the lawsuits against Zimmer start? Lawsuits against Zimmer began to surface in 2008 when a large number of patients began to experience problems with their Zimmer hip replacement systems. These patients experienced many symptoms, like loosening of the joint, and many had to go in for hip revision surgery. This forced Zimmer to send out a recall for all of their hip replacement products, which led to a large number of lawsuits being filed against the company. Settlements to patients may number in the millions of dollars.

High Failure Rates

According to multiple studies done on Zimmer’s hip replacement implants, the failure rate of these devices was somewhere around 6%. This is much higher than the industry average. One study saw that 14 out of 160 patients experienced devastating complications with their implant systems.
Settlements to patients are focused on those who have had to go on and have hip revision surgery in order to fix their implant.
After the recall Zimmer actually reintroduced their product into the U.S. market, claiming that surgeons were at fault, and that the device was perfectly fine.

Zimmer Hip Replacement Problems: Just the Facts

Many people are looking for clear, complete information about the Zimmer hip recall because they themselves have experienced Zimmer hip complications, or because they have watched a loved one struggle with Zimmer hip problems or hip revision surgery. Recently a wave of hip replacement recalls has rocked the orthopedic device industry, and it’s more important than ever to understand exactly how product recalls and lawsuits resulting from the Zimmer hip recall may affect you. This article will present the essential facts connected to this important issue, and explain the options that affected parties now face.

Zimmer Durom Cup Recall and Re-release

Zimmer Holdings, one of the largest orthopedic device manufacturers on the planet, was unaware of the serious issues with their Durom Cup implant until a respected surgeon made known his concerns. Dr. Larry Dorr reported in April 2008 that more than 8 percent of the patients he had implanted with a Durom Cup suffered failure of the device and were forced to undergo painful hip revision surgery within 2 years.
The Zimmer Durom Cup was designed to attach directly to the hipbone itself, without any screws or adhesives. But it was determined that in some cases the device simply slips free or even comes popping free from the hipbone. Sales of the implant were temporarily suspended in July 2008, but within a few months Zimmer Holdings was marketing the implant once again, this time with revised implant and fitting instructions for surgeons.
There are still many surgeons who refuse to implant the Zimmer Durom Cup device into their patients. There are 12,500 individuals in the United States who have received a Zimmer Durom cup implant, and dozens these recipients have filed a Zimmer Hip lawsuit against the device manufacturer. If you or someone you know has been implanted with the Zimmer Durom Cup and experienced failure or other complications, consulting a Zimmer Hip lawyer and filing a lawsuit may be the solution.

DePuy ASR Hip Recall and Fallout

The DePuy ASR metal-on-metal hip implant device was recalled in August 2010, after the manufacturer confirmed failure rates of 12-13 percent taking place within 5 years of implantation. More than 90,000 people around the world have been implanted with the DePuy ASR device, with more than 30,000 of these surgeries taking place in the United States alone.
In early 2011, a British study determined that DePuy’s ASR device fails as much as 50 percent of the time within just 6 years. The implant was designed to function problem-free for at least 15 years. One of the complications the device has been found to cause is metallosis (metal poisoning), which can be lethal. The ASR system can shed cobalt and chromium particles into the patient’s bloodstream, which can result in destruction of surrounding soft tissues and blood poisoning.
To date, victims have filed more than 100 DePuy hip lawsuits in federal courts across the nation. It is expected that thousands more will be in process by the time the earliest lawsuits reach trial—probably in late 2011 or early 2012. Johnson & Johnson, the parent company of DePuy Orthopaedics, has set aside more than $922 to cover legal costs stemming from this recall, which may include DePuy hip lawsuit settlements.

Zimmer Hip Replacement Problems Concern Many

About 12,000 patients have been fitted with the Zimmer hip replacement system, marketed under the name Durom cup, and many of these patients have been experiencing side effects and complications related to their implant that simply should not be happening. Luckily there is a course of action they can take – patients who have experienced any of the following symptoms, or any others believed to be related to the Zimmer hip implant, should first consult their doctors and then seek legal advice to see if they have a chance at a potential settlement in relation to the case.
Startup pain is a complicated side effect, because it is one of the symptoms that almost all hip implant recipients experience in the months following their surgery, because the body is healing around the implant. It involves pain when the patient stands up from a sedentary position. It is somewhat normal for this pain to last for a few months following surgery – however, in many cases with the Zimmer hip replacement, the pain may persist until the device is replaced in a risky second surgery known as a hip revision surgery.
Zimmer hip replacement patients also limp – again, this is true in many cases as patients develop an “antalgic gait” which favors an undamaged limb. However, limping is often more noticeable in Zimmer hip replacement patients than in patients who are healing well and with few complications. Patients also have been reported to experience groin pain, a sharp pain that manifests when the patient stands up from a seated position. This can be so severe that it can prohibit users from enjoying activities for which they have to stand. Other side effects can include pain while walking up and particularly down stairs and loss of endurance.
All of these conditions are cause for concern especially because they may prevent a patient from leading an active life.

Zimmer Hip Settlement Reserve Grows Along with Zimmer Hip Lawsuits

Due to the growing number of plaintiffs who have initiated Zimmer Hip implant lawsuits, Zimmer Holdings, the largest maker of artificial joints in the country, has begun creation of a Zimmer Hip settlement plan. Zimmer’s Durom Cup hip implant was subject to a temporary recall in July 2008, and the number of lawsuits filed against the company has only risen since then.

Zimmer Anticipates Hip Settlement Expenses

Within a few months of the July 2008 recall, Zimmer Holdings reported that the company had reserved $47.5 million to be used to cover legal costs as well as Zimmer hip settlements. By the end of the year, this Zimmer hip settlement money had increased to a to a total of $69 million. Eighteen months after that, in August 2010, Zimmer stated that an additional $75 million had been added, more than doubling the total amount.

Initial Zimmer Hip Settlement Offers

Individuals who received a defective Zimmer Durom Cup hip implant may wonder what these facts mean for their lives. It is known that there are 12,000 Durom hip recipients across the nation.
For these patients, the news means that Zimmer hip settlements are very likely to happen. Some recipients of the faulty device have already accepted a settlement offer. But an even greater number of recipients have rejected a settlement offer from Zimmer.
Many legal professionals advise affected individuals that rejecting these early settlement offers is the smart move right now. It has been determined that many of the offers are not large enough to fairly compensate the injured parties, especially when keeping in mind that many people have had their lives forever changed by having the defective implant.

Zimmer Hip Lawsuits Begin Multidistrict Litigation

Many Zimmer hip lawsuits filed in a federal court in the United States have been consolidated in multidistrict litigation, or MDL. As of June 2010, there were 45 of these lawsuits undergoing MDL, and the number has continued to grow since then. The newer lawsuits are joining those already pending in a New Jersey court where the essential pretrial discovery process has been centralized.
As soon as the latter half of 2011, a costly and drawn out Zimmer hip trial may be underway. Zimmer Holdings could save itself a great deal of time and money by reaching suitable settlements with patients who have filed lawsuits. However, if the orthopedic company chooses to go forward with a trial, it may mean years of legal disputes and negative publicity.
Zimmer is based in Warsaw, Indiana, and is a publicly traded company that reported more than $4 billion in revenue during 2009. Most likely, the defendant will choose a course of action that is least damaging to its reputation. This could translate into more appropriate settlement offers for Zimmer Hip Lawsuit plaintiffs.