If you’re of a certain age, it’s likely that you or someone you know has needed to have a joint replaced. As American’s life longer, it becomes a much more common procedure that allows us to lead the active, healthy lives that we want to, even as our natural joints wear out, which can cause pain and disability. One of the most common joints that must be replaced is the hip joint.
A hip replacement is designed to allow the natural use of the legs during walking, sitting, or standing, allowing for more natural, comfortable movement. If you or someone you love has had a hip replacement procedure, read on for recall news about the Zimmer hip implant.
When we age, parts of our body that have been serving us well for years begin to slow and ache, due to years of use and abuse. This is, of course, a natural part of aging. But for many older Americans, the pain in their hips becomes unbearable, so bad in fact that they cannot walk or stand for long periods. This means that they are unable to care for themselves properly, or enjoy the activities they once loves. It is for these patients that the Zimmer hip implant was invented. With a proper hip replacement, patients such as these can become active again, meaning that they can lead longer, healthier lives.
Hip replacements have revolutionized the way that many Americans live their daily lives, and has allowed a great number to do so without pain. But because they are a mechanical replacement, they are known to fail, often within ten years. This means that at an even older age, a patient must go through another replacement surgery. The Zimmer hip implant was designed to change that. It was targeted at younger patients as a way to get the benefits of a hip replacement, but with a long lasting implant that would not need to be replaced, so that they could avoid further surgery.
However, this claim has not held up to scrutiny. In one text clinic, twelve percent of patients with the Zimmer hip implant needed to have it replaced within two years. This is an astoundingly high failure rate. It also means that the implant that was designed to last a lifetime was in fact, barely lasting at all. And patients who did not believe they would need further surgery were faced with the prospect of another surgery soon after the first.
The Zimmer Durom company has denied that their Zimmer hip implant is this prone to failure, but in internal testing, their devices failed within seven percent of patients within the first two years. This is still an incredibly high rate. High enough, in fact, that the company pulled the replacement from the market in July of 2008. If you or someone you love has had a hip replacement, ask your doctor if it is the Zimmer hip implant. If it was, you may have the right to sue!
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