Parents of children with early onset scoliosis need to be aware that the MAGEC magnetically controlled grow rod system made by NuVasive has been associated with several serious issues including premature failures, additional unexpected invasive surgeries, and a particularly concerning condition called metallosis. If your child has developed metallosis or was forced to undergo unplanned revision surgery to repair or replace the grow rods or device components, you may be eligible to hold the manufacturer accountable with a NuVasive MAGEC lawsuit.
About the MAGEC System
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Simply put, magnetic grow rods are implanted to help straighten the curvature of spines affected by early onset scoliosis. Unlike traditional grow rods that must be replaced as the child grows, magnetic grow rods do not require invasive surgery to extend. Instead, the implanted rods are extended by a remote-control magnetic unit.
But even though the device maker markets and promote the system as safer than other treatments, parents of some of those patients who have been implanted with MAGEC grow rods say their children have experienced:
- device breakage
- high levels of metal ions in the body
- premature failures
- rods that don’t extend
- tissue necrosis (death) around the device
The families of young patients who have the device are anxious about the effects the MAGEC system could have on their children’s lives, and researchers are continuing to investigate the reports they have received about severe adverse events and injuries.
MAGEC Associated with Metallosis
Unfortunately, the MAGEC system has been associated with a particularly concerning condition called metallosis, which is caused by high levels of metal ions being shed into the body by metal-on-metal devices. This condition got a lot of press because of metal-on-metal hips, but unlike the effects the condition has on adults, it is completely unknown what effect this condition could have on a young child. Some of the consequences this condition can have on an adult body include:
- Cardiomyopathy
- Cognitive impairment
- Hearing problems
- Muscle necrosis
- Nerve damage
- Osteolysis
- Pain around the implant
- Problems with vision
- Renal function impairment
- Thyroid dysfunction
- Tissue necrosis
It’s too early to know what effects the condition could have on children who develop it during their growing years.
MAGEC Injury Lawsuits Continue to Mount
Patients who receive the MAGEC system may be forced to undergo revision surgeries due to premature device failures including when the rods fail to extend, when components of the system break or fracture, and when the parts of the system rub together during the child’s normal movements and shed metal particulates into nearby tissue and into the bloodstream.
Yet the device is being marketed and promoted as safer than alternative devices as it requires fewer invasive surgeries, but patients who receive the device are having to endure additional invasive surgeries because of fractures, breaks, and failures. Families have discovered that their children may have to have surgical intervention to fix or replace the device, even though the manufacturer said the device would decrease the risks that children are exposed to.
Lawsuits are being filed on behalf of families whose children have been forced to have corrective surgeries to repair and replace the device or its components and on behalf of those who developed metallosis after being implanted with the device.
These lawsuits are seeking justice and compensation from NuVasive. To find out if you are eligible to seek compensation over MAGEC injuries your child has suffered, contact a deeply experienced medical device attorney who has proven negotiation skills.
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