Over 1,000 lawsuits claim the Zimmer NexGen knee replacement is defective because it can loosen and require revision surgery.
Do I Have a Knee Replacement Lawsuit? Collen A. Clark is a true advocate for his clients and is passionate about helping Texans that have been injured or wronged. If you or a loved one needed revision surgery, you should contact our lawyers immediately. You may be entitled to compensation by filing a lawsuit.
UPDATE: Zimmer Wins 1st Trial Over NexGen Knee Implant
November 9, 2015 — The first trial involving the NexGen knee replacement has ended in a win for Zimmer Inc. Click here to read more.
October 16, 2015 — Zimmer Inc. is facing the first “bellwether” trial out of nearly 1,000 federal lawsuits claiming the NexGen knee replacement is defective.
July 23, 2014 — Zimmer is recalling 41,180 stemmed tibial baseplate components of the NexGen Complete Knee Solution because of a defect that could lead to serious complications, including infection, bone loss, dislocation of the knee, and early revision surgery. Click here to read more.
July 9, 2014 — Australian health authorities have issued a hazard alert for the Zimmer NexGen Complete Knee Solution because a manufacturing defect left faulty threads in some devices manufactured before April 3, 2014. This could prevent proper installation of the drop-down stem extension, which could lead to loosening or failure of the knee implant. Click here to read more.
July 7, 2014 — Zimmer is facing at least 1,327 lawsuits involving the NexGen knee replacement in a federal MDL in Illinois, and new lawsuits continue to be filed throughout the United States. Click here to read more.
According to one complaint (PDF) filed in Texas:
“Plaintiff began experiencing severe and debilitating pain … Plaintiff was later advised his Zimmer NexGen Knees were experiencing ‘loosening’ and would need to be revised. … Plaintiff had a second surgery to revise/replace the previously implanted Zimmer NexGen Knee.”
NexGen Knee Replacements: An Overview
For patients suffering from severe knee pain and disability due to arthritis, NexGen complete knee solutions offered a way to gain back knee movement and quality of life, especially for those patients who had knee problems due to age, physical injury, low blood flow, dead or weakened bone tissue, or physiological abnormalities.
Since 2003, Zimmer Inc. has sold over 150,000 NexGen knee replacement systems. The NexGen knee systems should ideally replace the painful portions of the knee joint, allowing for renewed movement and restored alignment.
Unfortunately, models of Zimmer’s NexGen knee replacements are failing prematurely, causing the implant to become loose, often causing severe pain in patients. Furthermore, failing NexGen implants may require additional revision surgery, which may also be extremely painful.
While more traditional surgical techniques use cement to glue the NexGen implant to the bone, certain NexGen knee systems contain a femoral component that relies on porous coating to help fuse together the implanted device with the thigh bone, by encouraging natural bone growth. Recent research suggests these porous implants are not fusing properly with the bone, causing the device to loosen.
The risk of loosening implants has led the FDA to order recalls of specific Zimmer NexGen products.
If you have received a NexGen knee replacement system as part of a knee surgery and experienced a loosening of the implant, leading to pain or even corrective surgery, you may want to contact a Zimmer NexGen knee lawyer or attorney with The Clark Firm for a free case evaluation to discuss the potential of a Zimmer NexGen knee lawsuit.
Side Effects of NexGen Knee Replacements
The following symptoms may be a sign that your NexGen knee replacement has prematurely failed:
- Unexplained knee pain or discomfort after surgery
- Difficulty standing or walking
- Loosening of Zimmer replacement parts
- Need for revision surgery
- Other knee complications
NexGen Knee Studies
The New York Times June 19, 2010 — Dr. Richard A. Berger used to be a consultant for Zimmer. Working for them for over a decade, Berger made nearly $8 million. He designed surgical tools and joints for Zimmer and trained hundreds of doctors on how to use its products.
Dr. Berger lost his position after he warned Zimmer one of its knee replacement systems was malfunctioning prematurely. Zimmer warned that the NexGen CR-Flex was not fusing properly with the thigh bone, as it was supposed to do naturally — without the aid of cement.
Dr. Berger said that the NexGen CR-Flex implant should last for about 15 years, but when he gave it to 125 patients in 2005, x-rays on some patients in early 2006 showed lines where the implant met the thigh bone — an indication the device was loose and had not fused properly.
Instead of Zimmer looking into his concerns, the manufacturer said the problem was not with the artificial knee, but rather the technique used by Dr. Berger, who performs approximately 1,000 hip and knee replacements annually.
Dr. Berger stopped using the NexGen CR-Flex in 2007, along with several other surgeons who experienced problems. He also started a study with fellow surgeon, Dr. Craig J. Della Valle.
The results were presented at a national meeting of the American Association of Orthopedic Surgeons in 2010. The study found the uncemented Zimmer knee failed early in about 9 percent of some 100 patients studied. Additionally, the knee exhibited signs of looseness in about half of all total patients, causing the need to be replaced in some of them.
FDA Recall
September 13, 2010 — With 68,384 of the products manufactured, the FDA issued a Class 2 recall of the NexGen Complete Knee Solutions MIS Tibial Components.
Said the FDA during the recall:
“The firm has received complaints of loosening of the implanted device requiring revision surgery. There have been 114 MDRs filed all reported that device loosened and the patient required additional surgery to replace the device.”
Additionally, on April 26, 2010, Zimmer sent out a letter to all customers, instructing them to destroy and disregard all previous versions of the surgical technique. They added a warning to fully cement and pressurize the anterior and posterior surfaces of the tibial component.
December 2, 2010 — The FDA also issued a Class 2 recall for the Zimmer NexGen Complete Knee Solution LPS Femoral Components. Citing issues with a “nonconforming internal CAM radius,” the components were recalled for a variety of different sizes. The recalled products include:
Zimmer NexGen Complete Knee Solution LPS Flex Gender Femoral Component
- Size E, left knee
- Size E, right knee
- Size F, right knee
- Size G, left knee
NexGen Complete Knee Solution LPS Femoral Component (n.k.a. LPS Option Femoral Component)
- Size E, right knee
- Size F, right knee
- Size F, left knee
- Size G, left knee
- Size G, right knee
Defective NexGen Knee Replacement Models
Loosening and premature failing may be associated with the following NexGen systems and products:
- Zimmer NexGen Complete Knee Solution MIS Tibial Components
- Zimmer NexGen CR-Flex Knee Replacement
- Zimmer NexGen CR-Flex Porous Femoral Component
- Zimmer NexGen LPS-Flex Mobile and Bearing Knee
- Zimmer NexGen Complete Knee Solution LPS Flex Gender Femoral Component
- Zimmer NexGen Complete Knee Solution LPS Femoral Component
Do I Have a Knee Replacement Lawsuit?
Collen A. Clark is a true advocate for his clients and is passionate about helping Texans that have been injured or wronged.
Collen’s amazing success in the courtroom and well known dedication to his clients has earned him the recognition of his peers as one of The Top Trial Lawyers in Texas.”
The Clark Firm has assembled a team of trial lawyers with more than 100 years experience, participation in over 600 jury trials and $260 million in verdicts and/or settlements. Please use the form below to contact us for a free Texas knee replacement lawsuit review or you may also call us directly by dialing (866) 879-3040.
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