Chronic shoulder pain and and should range of motion issues can severely affect your day-to-day life and happiness. For this reason, thousands of people across the United States undergo shoulder replacement surgery in hopes of reducing pain and improving their life. Unfortunately, far too many shoulder replacement patients find that the solution promised to them only creates more serious health problems.
If you or a loved one has suffered complications due to a dangerous or defective should replacement device, you may deserve compensation for all related damages, including:
- Past and future related medical bills
- Lost wages
- Pain and suffering
- Loss of consortium
Shoulder Replacement Complications and Injuries
All too often, patients with chronic rotator cuff injuries or shoulder arthritis turn to shoulder replacement surgery as a treatment that will finally help them have a pain-free, functional shoulder. But soon after surgery, a significant number of patients report the following issues:
- Pain and discomfort
- Loss of shoulder function
- Bone loss
- Shoulder instability
- Shoulder weakness
- Fractures
- Metal toxicity
- Device malpositioning
- Device failure
- Infection
- Death
These complications and injuries can be extremely painful and extremely expensive to manage and resolve. Patients whose shoulder replacement fails, or patients who suffer pain and disability due to their shoulder replacement may:
- Require follow-up surgeries
- Require the removal of the shoulder device
- Require physical therapy and/or medication
- Miss significant amounts of work or be forced to change careers
- Become unable to participate in past hobbies
- Become unable to complete daily activities
- Experience a significant loss of quality of life
A 2016 scientific study published in the Journal of Should of Elbow Surgery found that patients who suffered a shoulder fracture complication after having shoulder replacement surgery were six times more likely to die within 30 days of their injury than the general population, due to pulmonary, cardiac, and abdominal issues.
Zimmer Biomet Comprehensive Reverse Shoulder System: Recall & Lawsuits
The Zimmer Biomet Comprehensive Reverse Shoulder System was designed to help those with chronic shoulder issues regain mobility and reduce pain. However, since the medical devices have been implanted into patients, the manufacturer has been under fire for both defective devices and insufficient warnings.
In February 2017, the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) issued a Class 1 Recall on the device, after announcing that the device had a higher fracture rate than the one listed on its label. In addition, when revision surgeries were needed, patients suffered higher rates of permanent disability, infection, and death. This recall came just months after Zimmer Biomet issued an Urgent Medical Device Recall Notice and a Certificate of Acknowledgement to hospitals, doctors, and other healthcare providers, asking that everyone quarantine the product.
In the years leading up to these two recalls, a number of shoulder system patients filed lawsuits against the company, alleging that:
- Zimmer Biomet knowingly marketed and distributed a defective medical device
- Zimmer Biomet misrepresented the fracture rates of its product
- Zimmer Biomet did not properly test or research their product
- Zimmer Biomet did not place proper warning labels on its product regarding safety risks
In February 2016, a Zimmer Biomet shoulder system lawsuit was settled for $350,000. In the case, the plaintiff received two should replacement devices, both of which fractured and had to be removed.
Contact Us Today
In some cases, complications after a shoulder replacement surgery are unavoidable. However, your shoulder replacement complications and injuries could be due to a defective medical device or due to medical negligence. It is imperative for you to fully understand why your shoulder replacement surgery was not successful, both so that you can hold the negligent party accountable and secure compensation for damages, from your medical bills to your pain and permanent disabilities.
We are here to help. Call Sweeney Merrigan Law today at (774)-214-2515 to schedule a confidential, complimentary meeting with an experienced attorney. Alternatively, please feel free to contact us through our short online form.
