Are the medical devices you use safe? Millions of people depend on medical devices to move around and perform the normal activities of daily living. From hip replacement devices to birth control, to filters that catch deadly blood clots before they can reach the lungs or heart, we depend on medical devices to keep us mobile, healthy, strong, and safe. But not all of them do.
Recent Medical Device Investigations and Lawsuits
- Breast Implant ALCL Lymphoma Lawsuit – patients who receive breast implants may develop anaplastic large cell lymphoma, a type of cancer found in breast tissue that is not breast cancer. BIA-ALCL cancer typically develops years after the implantation and seems to occur more with textured implants, but also occurs with smooth textures implants.
- DePuy Attune Knee Replacement Lawsuit – some patients who were implanted with an Attune Knee System knee experienced malfunctions or premature failures that forced them to undergo additional unplanned surgeries to have the device removed and replaced. Some patients had to endure more than one additional surgery on the same knee.
- DePuy Synthes Elbow Replacement Lawsuit – more than 50 thousand Synthes Radial Head elbow prostheses were pulled from the shelves when it was determined the stem of the device could loosen after implantation. This defect could cause patients to suffer bone and tissue damage, fractures, pain, and poor stability and movement. Some patients were forced to endure additional surgeries to replace or repair the device.
- Essure Lawsuit – Essure birth control device has been linked to serious adverse events including heavy bleeding, organ perforation, migration of the IUD, ectopic pregnancy, pelvic pain, spontaneous miscarriage, and even death.
- Hernia Mesh Lawsuit – Thousands of patients have suffered serious complications and adverse events from certain hernia mesh devices made by Bard, Ethicon, and Atrium Medical. Multidistrict litigation has been established to handle the large number of lawsuits being filed in federal courts across the country.
- IVC Filter Lawsuit – IVC filters, used to catch blood clots, are breaking and causing metal parts to migrate through the body and may damage the heart or the lungs and cause internal bleeding.
- Mirena Lawsuit – more than 45,000 adverse events have been associated with the Mirena birth control implant, including device expulsion, migration, uterine embedment, uterine perforation, and a disabling condition known as Pseudotumor Cerebri (PTC) or Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension (IIH) where fluid builds on brain causing damage to the optic nerve and a host of other issues.
- NuVasive MAGEC System Lawsuit – children with early onset scoliosis may suffer severe complications with the NuVasive MAGEC system, including tissue necrosis, a dangerous condition known as metallosis, and have to endure unexpected additional invasive surgeries because of devices breakage and failures.
- Stockert 3T Heater-Cooler Lawsuit – dozens of lawsuits have been filed after patients undergoing open-chest surgeries were infected with nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) from heater cooler units used to warm patients during operations. The bacteria are emitted in the air from the devices and fall into the chest cavity of the patient.
- Stryker Hip Replacement Lawsuit – the mixed-metal union of the Stryker Meridian, Accolade, or Citation TMZF stem and the LFIT-V40 chromium and cobalt head may fret, corrode, and shed metal particulates into the bloodstream and cause permanent bone and tissue damage and a dangerous condition called metallosis, or metal toxicity.
- Vaginal Rejuvenation Lawsuit – despite being promoted as safe with virtually no side effects, the devices used to perform vaginal rejuvenation procedures have not been proven safe or effective, and women are suffering the consequences.
- Zimmer Biomet Shoulder Implant Lawsuit – high fracture rates prompted a Class 1 recall of more than 3000 Zimmer Biomet Comprehensive Reverse Shoulder System Humeral Trays. Patients whose implants fracture may suffer tissue and bone loss and have to go through additional surgeries to have the device repaired, removed, or replaced.
