MINNESOTA AND WISCONSIN PRODUCT LIABILITY ATTORNEY, NATE BJERKE OF CHAMPION LAW, SPEAKS OUT ON ZIMMER DUROM CUP HIP IMPLANTS

I have blogged about Zimmer Durom Cup Hip implants in the past [INSERT A LINK TO THE BLOG HERE].  Briefly, Zimmer instituted a “stop sale” on its Durom Cup hip implants on July 24, 2008.  The Zimmer Durom Cup sale freeze was prompted by a letter sent to Zimmer and surgeons across the country by a leading orthopedic surgeon in Los Angeles, Dr. Larry Dorr.  Dr. Dorr, who had used the Zimmer Durom Cup implant on over a hundred patients, began noticing a high failure rate in the Durom Cup.  In a letter to his colleagues at the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons, Dr. Dorr noted the following concerning the Zimmer Durom cup implants:

• The failure rate was very high in the first two years after the Zimmer Durom cup was implanted;
• Symptoms were classic for loose implants;
• The cups would “just pop free”;
• He did not believe the fixation surface on the cups was good;
• The cups were not properly seating to the pelvic bone; and
• He stopped using the cups after the first time he had to replace a Zimmer Durom Cup implant.

Dr. Dorr wrote this letter concerning the Zimmer Durom Cup hip implant on April 22, 2008 and Zimmer finally stopped selling the Durom Cup implant on July 24, 2008.  Zimmer sent a letter to doctors and patients recommending that doctors monitor their Durom Cup patients closely.   

Zimmer seemed to be taking a step in the right direction when by offering to pay for revision surgeries for people who had the bad hips in exchange for a complete release of any additional claims.  (As a product liability attorney, I don’t think this is adequate because it does not account for rehabilitation expenses, lost wages, or compensation for the time lost and pain a patient suffers.)  It seems now that Zimmer has hardened it stance.  In a case Champion Law is handling, Zimmer refused to pay for the revision surgery ahead of time like they reportedly had done in the past.  Why Zimmer is taking this stance is anyone’s guess – it seems odd in light of the clear product problems. 

In light of this stance by Zimmer, Nate Bjerke and his law firm, Champion Law LLC, are gearing up for a fight.  If you or someone you know had a defective Zimmer Durom Cup implant go bad, call product liability attorney Nate Bjerke of Champion Law LLC at 866-778-2919 or 651-766-5886 or e-mail us by logging on to http://www.champion-law.com/.  We promise to answer your questions without the pushy sales pitch.