Sunday, July 26, 2009

Zimmer Durom Hip Replacements Have High Failure Rate

By Maxwell Schmickman

As American's life expectancies grow longer, more and more of our body parts are wearing out before we do. One of the first and most common to go are our joints, especially those located at our hips. Because of years of activity, these joints can become worn down as we age, and must be replaced medically. It's become a very common procedure, and it's likely that you or an older loved one has had a hip replaced. If so, read on please, because there is important information you need to know about hip replacement that have been recalled as faulty, made by the manufacturer Zimmer Durom.

Having your hip replaced is something that has happened to many American's for a number of reasons. These hip replacements, unfortunately, could have been the faculty ones manufactured by Zimmer Durom. Hip replacement, or hip arthroplasty, is a surgery in which the natural hip joint is replaced by an artificial ones. There are many different conditions for which this surgery is recommended. They include the pain for arthritis which was located in the hip joint. Normal wear on the joint is also a reason, when it affects quality of life. Lastly, hip joints are often replaced after a hip fracture.

The modern hip replacement operation has been taking place since the 1970's, which is why the idea may seem so commonplace to you. A hip replacement, such as those from Zimmer Durom, most commonly involves three separate pieces, designed to mimic how a natural knee joint would. They include a metal replacement for part of the femur. A component which allows for movement like the joint naturally would, and either bone cement or screws to hold the contraption in place.

If you have had hip replacement surgery, than you know that one of the biggest problems is the need for revision, or further surgery to solve problems with the prosthesis. This can cause serious damage to a patient's ability to walk, and is painful, time consuming, and expensive. The Zimmer Durom device was marketed exactly for its ability to avoid this problem, and to last longer than most prosthetics, so that younger patients could wear the device for the rest of their lives. However, in one study, 12 percent of patients needed revision in under two years, causing a medical community outcry.

Though Zimmer Durom has maintained that this high failure rate is caused by surgeon error, it pulled the replacement from the market in July 2008 after its own internal study found that 8 percent of the devices needed revision in two years. This has let many doctors and lawyers to believe the issue is with the replacement.

So if you or someone you love has received a hip replacement in the last several years, contact your doctor. If it's a Zimmer Durom, be sure to sign nothing they send you, as you may have the right to join a class action law suit, even if your replacement has not yet failed.

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