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Saturday, January 10, 2009

Zimmer Durom Hip Replacement? You Can Sue

By Maxwell Schmickman

Joint replacement has become a normal fact of life for many people. As we get older, and our life expectancies grow longer, joints are subject to more wear and tear than they used to be. This means that in many cases, for continued activity and quality of life, these joints need to be replaced. Because this has become such a common opportation, most of us don't question the choice of manufacturer made by our doctor for ourselves and our parents, leading to serious issues that can cause injury. If you or someone you know has gotten a hip replacement, keep reading about a recall from Zimmer Durom, a manufacturer.

There are many reasons that you or a loved one may have received a Zimmer Durom hip replacement, leading to danger for yourself of your loved ones. Hip replacement, also known as hip arthroplasty, is a common procedure in which the hip joint is removed and replaced by a prosthetic implant. This can be done for a variety of reasons, which include the pain of arthritis which was affecting the joint, damage to the joint over a long life, or the treatment of a hip fracture, an injury common to the elderly.

There have been modern hip replacement surgeries for almost 40 years, leading most people to believe that it is a completely safe procedure, because it is so common place. There can be surprising complications however, like the recall involving Zimmer Durom. A normal hip replacement involves three parts, all designed to work for you like a natural hip joint. The first is a metal piece which mimics the femur bone. Attached to that is a piece that works as the natural hip joint would. Keeping it all in place are either metal screws or bone cement.

One of the most common issues with hip replacements is the need for revision, or a further surgery to correct issues with the implant. Unfortunately, this is something many elderly and even healthy young patients cannot tolerate. It is the focus of the Zimmer Durom recall. The Zimmer Durom device was used by doctors in younger patients that would normally need a hip replacement, as it was designed to be long lasting. However, almost 12 percent of these patients needed surgery again within two years, prompting an outcry.

Though Zimmer Durom has maintained that this high failure rate is caused by surgeon error, it pulled the replacement from the market in July 2008 after its own internal study found that 8 percent of the devices needed revision in two years. This has let many doctors and lawyers to believe the issue is with the replacement.

If you or a loved one received a Zimmer Durom hip replacement, something your doctor will know, you may have the right to join a class action law suit, even if your replacement has not yet failed.. Be wary of signing anything by Zimmer Durom, as that may be a release taking away this right.

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