Personal Injury Law

New Replacement Registry Created Following DePuy Implant Recall

By Steven M. Levin and John J. Perconti

As new cases of problematic DePuy hip replacement implants continue to roll in, orthopedic surgeons across the country are attempting to handle the crisis by unveiling a new registry to help track the myriad of knee and hip implants problems nationwide.

AboutLawsuits.com is reporting on the effort now known as the American Joint Replacement Registry. The program initially covers only 15 select hospitals but the organizers have plans to expand it to all 5,000 hospitals that perform these procedures. The project intends to keep detailed records of the quality of replacements, helping doctors better understand when an implant may need replacement or when a particular product is shown to deteriorate too quickly.

The DePuy hip recall, involving over 93,000 hip implants, has made clear the need for the registry as many patients who received the defective implants are still unaware that there is a problem with the product. The hope is that the registry will help save future victims of bad implants from the pain of revision as well as the industry the cost. Over $32 billion is spent annually to fix poorly designed and installed replacements.

The concerns for all those who have hip replacements only grows, however, as similar problems are now being reported with another brand of replacement implants: Zimmer NextGen knee replacements. Though not yet recalled, over 36% of Zimmer knee replacements are being shown to come loose too quickly. Investigators believe that the problem is a result of the implant?s design. As a result, like the problematic DePuy implants, these knee implants require expensive and risky revision surgeries.

Our Chicago product liability lawyers at Levin & Perconti are committed to ensuring that all medical equipment, supplies, and implants are safe and secure across the board. When a product is found to be defective, it is vital for all those who may have been exposed to the problematic device to contact a product liability attorney as soon as possible to ensure that their safety is secure and their medical rights are protected. Time is important in these matters, so please do not delay in seeking expert help.

Full post as published by Illinois Medical Malpractice Blog on October 19, 2010 (boomark / email).