Sulzer Hip
There are many reasons for a person to have surgery. Doctors consider surgery the last option for most issues affecting a patient's health. With medications and physical therapy, doctors often recommend non-invasive procedures for a patient until they experience too much pain or disability from the problem. Hip replacement is no different. Hip replacement causes a great deal of recovery time: not only in a hospital bed, but after the patient has been released and is attending physical therapy to learn to walk. It is a complicated procedure that involves extensive surgery. When people go in for the surgery, they should be able to feel confident about the outcome. Unfortunately, this was not the case with the Sulzer hip implant. The Sulzer hip replacement implant was recalled in 2000 due to patient complaints and complications.
When a hip replacement is needed, it is due to osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, or ovascular necrosis. Ovascular necrosis is a breakdown of the bone due to injury, a lack of blood, or tumors. When a surgeon conducts a hip replacement, he or she removes the offending bone and puts in an artificial replacement. This replacement is attached to the upper part of the hip and is expected to bond with the existing bone. The Sulzer hip had a defect that caused no bond to form with the artificial replacement.
When the bond is not formed with the replacement, the Sulzer hip replacement moves around in the body, causing extreme pain in several areas. The areas affected by the defective Sulzer hip replacement are the groin, gluteus maximus, and thighs, making it difficult to rise from a seated position or walk. This friction between the artificial replacement and bone can also cause infection. The defect of the Sulzer hip replacement was due to a mineral oil used as a lubricant in the manufacturing process that was not removed after the product was completed. This mineral oil caused slippage and a lack of bonding to the bone.
For the 200 hip replacements reported using the Sulzer hip implant, each patient had to undergo additional hip replacement surgery with a different manufactured hip. This caused three or more additional months of recovery for the patient, as well as unnecessary pain. There were 17,500 implants and 26,000 products recalled. The Sulzer company reimbursed patients for out-of-pocket medical expenses, including the replacement costs. However, this does not include the extra time from work and the loss of wages incurred if there were any. It also may have affected insurance claims, so patients may not have been awarded proper compensation for the hip replacement.
If you believe you have not received proper compensation for the second hip replacement or medical expenses incurred due to the Sulzer hip defect, you will want to seek a lawyer for eligibility in filing a claim for further recompense. A lawyer who specializes in medical cases specific to hip replacements will want to work with you and your doctors to find a satisfactory solution to your claim. They will want to have access to your medical files regarding both surgeries and any additional medical treatments for the Sulzer hip defect you incurred.
Lawyers realize, as many patients do, that we seek treatment to help us feel better and live without pain. To be subjected to a defective hip replacement costs us emotionally and financially, and we deserve to be compensated for this suffering. Your lawyer will seek justice for you and help you with those additional medical debts by pursuing your claim with the Sulzer hip replacement company.
Hip replacements are often a last resort when you suffer from hip related problems, because doctors want to fix the problem with medicine and physical therapy before subjecting someone to a long and painful surgical process. When the process fails due to products like the Sulzer hip, you are subjected to more pain than needed for surgery, and deserve compensation for your suffering.
