Those seeking hip or knee replacement surgery are almost always focused on one thing: increased mobility or pain alleviation. A recent Consumer Reports’ Safe Patient Project shared on WMC-TV article titled: “Consumer Reports: Hip and knee replacement caution” reminds people considering hip or knee replacements that there can be serious complications associated with the surgery that they will want to consider.
According to the article, more people are choosing artificial hip and knee replacements than ever before. Each year almost half a million Americans get hip replacements, with hundreds of thousands more receiving artificial knees. Those figures are projected to quadruple as younger people opt for joint replacement surgery to stay active. Consumer Reports rated hundreds of hospitals on how well patients fared during and after hip and knee surgery. The biggest complication they found was the risk is infection. Another major issue, especially for young people; is knowing how long the artificial joints will last.
Lisa McGiffert, Director of Consumer Reports’ Safe Patient Project suggests that warranties could make manufacturers more diligent, saying that providing consumers with hip and knee implant warranties would give them realistic expectation of how long their implant will last. The Safe Patient Project notes that the vast majority of implants are not backed by a warranty. Therefore, they are requesting manufacturers to provide 20-year warranties that would allow patients to replace defective hip or knee implants at no cost.
We are experienced lawyers who represent victims who have suffered from defective medical devices including:
Defective DePuy Hip Replacements
Defective Stryker Hip Implants
Defective Zimmer Knee Implants
NextGen Defective Knee Replacements
In our work representing victims of defective medical devices, we find that many replacement patients are generally unaware of the type of implant used in their surgery. It’s only until they have unexplained pain after their replacement that they are aware that something is wrong and begin to question the equipment.
Not knowing the type of equipment used in the surgery can be quite harmful to the patient especially if they have received a defective hip or knee product from the following companies: DePuy, Biomet and Zimmer. Various products from these manufacturers are proving to do more harm than good.
Hip and knee replacement warranties might mean patients have more recourse with the manufacturer of defective products. In the meantime, if you have suffered consequences with a hip or knee replacement, you may have a personal injury case and deserve qualified representation.
Defective hip and knee replacement cases are generally complex as they usually involve not only the manufacturer of the equipment, but also the doctor who performed the procedure, and or other parties directly related to the case.
We invite you to contact our hip and knee replacement personal injury lawyers to tell us about your situation so we can provide you with a free consultation.