Hip Replacement Lawyer in California – Ed Smith
Hi. My name is Ed Smith, and I am a hip replacement lawyer in California. Part of the service I’ve provided to clients over the past three and a half decades has been to help them understand the pain they are experiencing. When that pain comes from another’s negligence, it is important to hold them liable for injuries. This is true of companies that manufacture medical devices such as those used in hip replacement surgery. Let me take this opportunity to provide some insight into two of the five biggest hip implant manufacturers – Biomet and Zimmer.
Biomet
Biomet, a medical device company in Indiana, specializes in joint replacement products, including those for hip replacement. It’s market share in the year 2010 was $312.9 million.
Not only does Biomet have devices used in hip replacement but also provides those used for revision surgery. The latter is used when the original hip replacement surgery fails. Aside from implants utilizing metal, Biomet also fashions others from polyethylene and ceramic materials.
Biomet’s Metal-on-Metal Implants
Biomet designs three lines of MoM implants:
- The M2a Magnum line
- The Stanmore
- The Exceed ABT
The M2a Magnum
First released in 1996, the M2a Magnum line was used in 110,000 replacement surgeries between 1999 and 2009. The company has said that the devices are useful in increasing range of motion in patients and in decreasing dislocations. In addition to six other M2a devices, a seventh, the M2a Magnum, was marketed first in 2004. This modification has a metal articulation that is large. It is one of the most popular of Biomet’s hip replacement devices. The different designs in the M2a line are used to accommodate patient needs. Overall, the devices are intended for patients who are active. To achieve this, a larger cup area is used. A spokesman for the line is the Olympic gymnastics star, Marylou Redden. Because of the large cup area, an increased number of metal particles can be released by friction of the MoM articulating surfaces.
Problems Encountered With the M2a Magnum
Common adverse effects are:
- Swelling
- Pain
- Fracture
- Early implant failure
- Metallosis
Metallosis With the M2a Magnum
This problem occurs with metal-on-metal hip implants. The M2a Magnum uses cobalt chromium. The symptoms of metallosis are pain, damaged tissues adjacent to the implant and failure of the device. This complication may induce heart failure. It can also cause deafness and blindness.
Biomet Lawsuits
Biomet settled several hundred lawsuits for $56 million in 2014. This was the finalization of a multidistrict litigation that began in 2012. Estimates of over 1,000 lawsuits currently are waiting to be heard. In addition, some cases are filed in New Jersey courts.
Zimmer Hip Replacement Devices
Zimmer is an orthopedic medical device company that sells metal-on-metal hip implants. As with other such devices, the use of metal is intended to make the implant more durable. However, friction occurs between the ball and cup portions of the implant.
Zimmer’s Durom Acetabular Component
Thirteen thousand patients received the Durom Cup made of cobalt chromium after it was approved by the FDA in 2006. Zimmer used a larger ball and cup area to increase range of motion and enhance durability. The company targeted younger patients. By 2007, problems were reported with the cup moving out of position, resulting in horrific pain. In 2008, a prominent orthopod described the need for revision surgery within two years of the original implant surgery.
Durom Cup Recall
Zimmer recalled the Durom Cup in 2008. This recall, the company said, was because of faulty surgical instructions. Once the instructions were revised, it was returned to the marketplace. Zimmer established a fund worth $69 million for any appropriate claims.
Zimmer Biomet
Zimmer bought Biomet in 2014. By 2015, the company became known as Zimmer Biomet.
Sacramento Hip Implant Attorney
I’m Ed Smith, a Sacramento hip implant lawyer. If you, or someone in your family has suffered with problems associated with a metal-on-metal (MoM) implant, please contact me for free and friendly advice. I can be reached at (916) 921-6400 or toll free at (800) 404-5400.
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