The Bumpy Road of the Zimmer Durom Cup Hip Implant
Since its inception in 2003, the Zimmer Durom Cup Hip Implant has seen both the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. Thousands of surgeries have been performed with it in Europe with an exceptionally high rate of success. In the United States, however, where its sales didn’t start until 2006, the implants have been far less successful. Hundreds of patients have experienced problems with their implants that have necessitated further surgery. Lawsuits abound, and the Zimmer Holdings Company has placed American sales on hold until such time as the problems can be ironed out.
Physicians have made claims that the Zimmer Cup is defective, a fact that they say has led to hundreds of patients who are now facing replacement surgery within the next few years. Zimmer, however, holds that there is nothing wrong with their implant. Instead, they claim the problem lies in the methods surgeons have been using to do the implants. They say that the surgeons did not receive the training they needed prior to doing implant surgeries, and therefore, the implants have failed. Although Zimmer has not accepted responsibility for the problem, it did voluntarily suspend sales of the device in the United States until such time as surgeons can receive the training they need to perform successful implants.
Patients who suffer ill effects from surgical implants are protected by laws in most U.S. states which say they are entitled to compensation for the pain they endured, all of the extra medical bills they incurred, and the wages they have lost and stand to lose in the future. Under these laws, patients can be compensated if the orthopedic device used in the surgery can be proven to be at fault. With this in mind, hundreds of patients have now filed lawsuits against Zimmer as well as the surgeons who performed the operations. Both sides are still blaming the other, and the court battles are still raging.
Hip replacement surgeries aren’t a new idea. In fact, as early as 1891 there is written reference to attempts to replace the femoral head using ivory devices. It wasn’t until 1960, however, that the Burmese surgeon, Dr. San Baw, started replacing broken hip bones with ivory. Within the next 20 years Dr. Baw claimed a success rate of 88% on the more than 300 replacement surgeries that he performed.
Modern hip replacement devices owe their origin to John Charnley who pioneered a 3-part artificial hip joint. Developed in the 1970s, this device or an adaptation of it was used all over the world for over 20 years. Then, in 2003, Zimmer introduced the Durom Cup which was touted as the best hip replacement device ever created during its initial try-outs in Europe.
Even though the devices and surgical procedures used in hip replacements have come a long way since they were first attempted over 100 years ago, they are still prone to problems. Patients using the Zimmer Durom Cup have most often suffered the effects of their implant slipping. This happens because the device is smaller than the original human joint components. If it isn’t implanted correctly, then it may move around. Other complications can be loosening of the implanted joint and infection. Even with the risks, however, doctors still encourage patients who have serious damage in their hip joints to get the surgery done.
Zimmer Holdings is still working to develop the training that surgeons will need in order to perform Durom Cup implants successfully. They are also attempting to resolve all of the pending lawsuits surrounding the device. The company is adamant in its belief that the Durom Cup implant, when used correctly, will positively impact the lives of those needing hip replacement surgery, and they hope to get it back on the U.S. market soon.
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