Zimmer Durom Hip Implant Class Action

We are pursuing class actions in the courts of British Columbia and Ontario on behalf of all Canadians who have been injured after their Zimmer Durom Hip Replacement System (known as the “Durom Cup”) failed. The Durom Cup is an artificial device used in hip replacement or resurfacing surgery. It is a prosthetic shell meant to be implanted into a patient’s hip socket. The lawsuits allege that Zimmer was negligent in the development and manufacture of the Durom Cup and, as a result, Durom Cups have failed to adhere to patients’ hip bones. The failed implants have caused patients pain, discomfort and, in many cases, the need for additional hip replacement surgeries.

On September 2, 2011, the Supreme Court of British Columbia certified the Durom Cup lawsuit as a class action on behalf of "all persons who were implanted with the Durom acetabular hip implant in Canada." The Ontario class action was filed in August 2010.

If you received a Zimmer Durom hip implant, and are experiencing pain, or have undergone, or will undergo, further surgery to replace it, please contact us for more information.

David Klein discusses medical device product recalls

 

 

The lawsuits allege that Zimmer was negligent in the development and manufacture of the Durom Cup and, as a result, Durom Cups have failed to adhere to patients’ hip bones. The failed implants have caused patients pain, discomfort and, in many cases, the need for additional hip replacement surgeries.

In recent years, many patients who have received “metal-on-metal” hip implants like the Durom Cup have also started to experience harm from metal debris and metal ions released into their bloodstream and tissue surrounding their implant.

A metal-on-metal hip implant is one in which both the ball and socket of the product are made of metal. Many surgeons recommended metal-on-metal hip implants to physically active patients because they believed that the metal was durable enough to last longer than alternative implant systems that integrate ceramic or polyethylene.

But patients are now appearing with symptoms of “metallosis” which has been found to cause problems such as pseudotumors, soft-tissue masses relating to the affected joint. Medical literature has also identified cardiomyopathy, thyroid dysfunction, and neurological changes resulting from metal-on-metal implants. In order to combat the problems associated with metallosis, patients must often undergo new hip implant replacements and additional surgery to remove the threat of metal release and to repair soft tissue and muscle damage.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration notes that patients with metal-on-metal implants should be aware of potential symptoms that may indicate that their implant is not functioning properly, including pain in the groin, hip or leg, swelling at or near the hip joint or a limp or change in walking ability.

 

For more information

Barbara McKeever
604.714.0681
bmckeever@kleinlyons.com