Zimmer NexGen Knee Replacement Implants Associated With High Failure Rate; Lawsuits Likely

Zimmer Inc., the Indiana-based global medical device company, may soon find themselves fighting additional product liability, negligence and failure to warn lawsuits as more and more knee replacement surgery patients are alleging that their Zimmer NexGen CR-Flex knee implants are defective. The manufacturer, most recently in the news over its defective hip replacement Zimmer Durom Cups, is being urged to recall the allegedly defective knee implant medical devices.

What is the Zimmer NexGen CR-Flex knee replacement implant?

According to Zimmer knee injury attorneys, Zimmer’s NexGen CR-Flex medical device is a synthetic device used to cap the thigh bone (femur) where it connects with the tibia at the knee. Unlike traditional knee implants, the CR-Flex is made of a porous fiber metal and a cobalt-chromium-molybdenum alloy and is not attached using cement.

Why is the Zimmer’s NexGen medical device defective?

Introduced in 2003, Zimmer’s NexGen medical device has been associated with very high failure rates. In fact, studies have shown that an astonishing 36% of Zimmer knee implants were loose after only two years after knee replacement surgery – causing patients to experience a great deal of physical and emotional pain and often required them to undergo another painful knee replacement surgical procedure.

Orthopedic surgeons Richard Berger and Craig Della Valle of Chicago’s Rush University Medical Center, who have been using the medical devices for several years, say that the product should be recalled as 9.3% of implants were either revised or scheduled to be revised because of looseness and the pain associated with it.

Zimmer profits soar, knee implant patients see red

Since the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) approved the product in 2003, the medical device manufacturer has sold over 150,000 units, adding substantially to its global sales – which topped $1.75 billion in 2009. So, Zimmer’s financial status is well in the black. However, Zimmer knee implant surgery patients are now seeing red and product liability lawsuits against the medical device giant are likely.

If you’ve been injured due to Zimmer’s NexGen CR-Flex knee implants, contact a Zimmer defective knee implant lawyer to discuss your situation. You may be entitled to compensation for your injuries – both physical and emotional.