Lawsuits Filed Over Shoulder Pain Pump

Baltimore, MDThree more lawsuits have been filed against the maker of defective shoulder pain pumps alleging the pain pumps caused serious irreversible damage to patients following shoulder surgery. That irreversible damage is known as "glenohumeral chondrolysis," which involves loss of cartilage in the shoulder joint. Without cartilage in the joint, the bones grind together, causing severe pain and lack of mobility.

The lawsuits allege that there were no studies done to show that the use of shoulder pain pumps was a safe pain-management technique and further allege that the makers of the anesthetics also did not perform any tests to determine that the continuous exposure to the drugs into the shoulder was not harmful. Rather, the use of the pain pumps, and the anesthetics, was encouraged in spite of a lack of evidence of their safety. According the lawsuit, the defendants, "…encouraged orthopedic surgeons to use the pumps and anesthetics, in tandem, in an untested and dangerous manner."

One of the plaintiffs was only 23 years old when she had arthroscopic surgery to correct her shoulder problems. The patient alleges that as a result of the use of a shoulder pain pump she now suffers from glenohumeral chnodrolysis. Because the condition is irreversible, this young woman will suffer debilitating pain in her shoulder for the rest of her life, and may not ever recover full use of her shoulder.

Another of the plaintiffs, also a female, made her living as a personal trainer prior to her 2005 surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff. The plaintiff says she now has trouble with even basic, everyday tasks and has filed a lawsuit against the makers of the pain pump and the anesthetic used in the pump. The third plaintiff, a male, alleges he suffers from chondrolysis because of the use of a pain pump following his surgery.

Patients who have had shoulder problems following their arthroscopic surgery are frustrated that their shoulders seem to be worse off than they were before. Thomas V. says since his surgery, he has experienced, "Constant pain, clicking, cracking, stiffness, extensive loss of motion range and more dislocations. I have a lot of doctors to pay even though my shoulder is worse than before the surgery."

Although some patients believed that their shoulder problems were just a normal part of recovery from arthroscopic surgery, they are now realizing that the pain is lasting too long to be considered "routine." Noreen S. says, "I believe I have permanent damage, which could have been caused by the use of the shoulder pain pump. After almost one year post-surgery, I still have pain, stiffness, limited range of motion, popping and grinding."

So far, lawsuits have been filed against a number of companies that make shoulder pain pumps, including I-Flow Corp., Stryker Corp. and Breg, Inc. Companies that manufacture anesthetics have also been named in the lawsuits. Although the exact number of lawsuits filed is not currently known, at least 30 lawsuits have been filed involving the shoulder pumps. The lawsuits will not be consolidated, after the United States Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation found that consolidation was not appropriate due to the number of different manufacturers (of both the pumps and the anesthetics) involved in the lawsuits.

Patients who underwent arthroscopic surgery thought the surgery would help relieve their pain, not cause further, debilitating problems. Those who developed glenohumeral chondrolysis now face either a lifetime of shoulder pain or further surgery on their shoulder—neither of which is a particularly pleasant prospect.