Zimmer Places Blame On Doctors for Hip Failures

Since August 19, 2008, Zimmer has been offering web-based training to surgeons to highlight important aspects of the Durom Cup design, pre-operative planning that is necessary and detailed instructions on special surgical techniques that are required. They have indicated that they will start making the Zimmer Durom Hip Cup available to doctors after they complete the internet training. Zimmer allowed approximately 12,000 people in the United States to receive their Durom Cup, even though they knew or should have known that doctors were not provided with adequate warnings and instructions about the surgical techniques required to avoid failure of the hip replacement parts. According to Zimmer’s own estimates, some doctors experienced Zimmer hip implant failure rates as high as 5.7% with the Durom Cup.

Zimmer Hip Failures May Also Be Causing Metal Poisoning

  Metal-on-metal hip replacements, which use cobalt and chromium in their construction, currently account for about one-third of the 250,000 hip replacements performed each year in the United States. However, in recent years, concerns over problems with metal-on-metal hip replacements have been growing. Many metal-on-metal hip replacements have been linked to a high rate of early failure. This is the main focus of what is becoming known as the Zimmer hip lawsuit. Surgeons and doctors were choosing the Zimmer Dorum for patients that, under normal conditions, would require a full hip replacement, especially considering that it was designed to be a long lasting solution. However, almost 12 percent of these patients needed surgery again within two years, caused major emotional and physical reaction.

Zimmer Hip Failure Affects Thousands

Before suspending sales of the Zimmer Durom Cup, Zimmer allowed approximately 12,000 people in the United States to receive their Durom Cup, even though they knew or should have known that doctors were provided with inadequate warnings and instructions about the surgical techniques required to avoid failure of the hip replacement parts. Zimmer’s own research data estimates that some doctors experienced Zimmer hip failure rates as high as 5.7%, though many estimate the numbers much higher. For months after doctors started reporting Zimmer Durom hip problems, Zimmer ignored safety concerns and refused to conduct a full investigation. According to current lawsuits, Zimmer has allowed thousands of people to be implanted with the Durom Cup without adequately disclosing the risks and necessary surgical techniques.

Zimmer Hip Lawyers Investigate

The FDA has received a large amount of reports stating that surgeons are performing revision surgeries on individuals with Zimmer hip implant failure. These reports have indicated that during the Durom Cup hip replacement revision surgery, surgeons observed the acetabular component of the Zimmer Durom Cup had loosened. Zimmer Durom acetabular cups, used for total hip replacements, had U. S. sales suspended until the firm revises surgical instructions and retrains physicians. The suspension is expected to cost the company between $20 million to $30 million, the company said. Zimmer stopped distributing Durom cups after the beginning of an investigation of its manufacturing process and more than 3,100 Durom Cup implant recipients. The investigation showed elevated incidents of cups loosening and an elevated revision surgery rate.

Zimmer Sets aside $150m for Settlements, 45 Lawsuits go into Mediation

Judge Susan Wigenton of the New Jersey federal court has ordered that 45 lawsuits brought against Zimmer Inc. should go forward into mediation. A third party mediator will be set up to distribute compensation due to side effects and failure of Zimmer’s Durom Cup, used in their hip replacements. $150 million has been set up by Zimmer to compensate the plaintiffs, many of whom suffered severe pain due to the breakdown of the Durom cup, in many cases, within 2-3 years of their initial surgery.

Zimmer Hip Replacement Lawsuits in Multidistrict Litigation

Over five years ago Zimmer started receiving complaints of consumers who were facing severe side effects associated with the product. Now the litigation surrounding the case is close to being resolved, with dozens of plaintiffs waiting for a court decision that might gain them compensation for past and future medical bills for treatments that will help alleviate pain and suffering related to the conditions they have developed.

Patients Wonder: Who Can File a Zimmer Hip Lawsuit?

The Zimmer Durom Cup hip replacement system has become controversial in recent years due to the high rate of failure experienced by patients who had been fitted with the system, and many of these patients are wondering if they are eligible to file a lawsuit against Zimmer. This would be useful to many patients because a lawsuit could mean compensation – relief from some of the medical bills, lost wages, and other expenses that may have been incurred as a result of the side effects associated with the implant.
The Durom Cup has been found to experience a higher rate of failure than similar devices, and because of this Zimmer suspended sales of the device to investigate claims in July of 2008. However, just three months later, they began to sell the product once again. Even before the recall, the Durom Cup was implanted in around 12,000 Americans, and thousands more have been used since the product was reintroduced to the market.