Zimmer Hip Implant Lawyers

Replacement Joint Registries: Could the Zimmer Hip Implant Fiasco Have Been Prevented?

In the minds of many medical professionals, the Zimmer hip implant fiasco, which led to a recent suspension of the device’s sales, underscores a serious problem in the United States healthcare system – the lack of a centralized national replacement join registry.

In many countries, including Britain, Sweden, and Australia, a national database of joint replacement procedures and devices collects information about all the replacement surgeries performed. These central databases allow doctors to easily keep track of how patients respond to particular surgical techniques or artificial joints/implants.

Even more importantly, such centralized registries often enable the medical community to catch problems with joint replacement devices before they are widely distributed. A hip implant manufactured by Sulzer Orthopedics was quickly pulled from the market in Sweden after registry data showed that it was defective; only 30 Swedish patients had received the implant. In contrast, over 3,000 American patients were forced to get replacement implants because the problem took months to resolve without a centralized joint registry.

Zimmer Holdings – A Repeat Offender

In the time it has taken for Zimmer Holdings to take any real action, over 13,000 patients have been implanted with potentially defective Zimmer Durom Cup hip implants. Could a national joint registry have prevented the problem from becoming so widespread? Possibly.

Zimmer is no stranger to problem products. Another Zimmer product, a knee implant called the Unispacer, was removed from the Australian market three years ago due to registry data showing a failure rate over 50%. Years later, the device is still sold in America.

Not surprisingly, the medical device manufacturing industry has put up many barriers to the formation of such a central registry, all the while claiming to have the best interests of patients and doctors in mind. Too often, unsuspecting patients are the ones to suffer from the selfishness of these enormous corporations.

If you have been affected by a defective Zimmer Durom Cup hip implant, contact Pulaski & Middleman today at 800-223-3784 for a free initial consultation about your case with one of our Zimmer hip implant lawyers.