Warsaw, INYou want your Zimmer Natural Knee to perform like the one in the advertisement. You would expect nothing less, and little wonder given the widespread assumption that any product that carries the FDA stamp of approval (US Food and Drug Administration) will do what they say it will do, and over the 12 to 15 years it's supposed to last.
However, not all Zimmer Natural products (knees or hips) appear to uphold that ideal for all patients.
Zimmer is a leading supplier in the orthopaedics industry—a sector that is primed for substantial growth in the coming years as the first wave of Baby Boomers reach retirement. Unlike previous generations of retirees, content with lounging in a rocking chair for all of their golden years, today's retirees are active and want to stay that way.
When the knees and hips give out, the push is on for replacements that will allow an active lifestyle to continue, and even become enhanced. It is both the hope, and the expectation for most Boomers.
Zimmer's promotion of its Zimmer Natural Knee II appeals to that ideal—and their marketing machine found a heartfelt story with one of Zimmer's own employees. 'Richard' is identified as a production scheduler at Zimmer whose grandfather was having issues with a partial knee replacement that proved less than satisfactory. The offending device was not one of Zimmer's.
So Richard, who is "proud of our products," sought a Zimmer Natural Knee II for his grandfather, George. The surgery went well, and today George is enjoying an active retirement with no plans to slow down. He's even considering a new career.
Good news about the Zimmer Natural knee system. But the good news is, apparently, not shared by everybody. Take the author of a note to LawyersandSettlements.com back in January, who wrote from Wisconsin that no fewer than eight surgeries since July 2009 have succeeded in rectifying problems with a Zimmer Natural Knee system. Along with the pain and suffering, the continuing knee troubles for this one patient has resulted in the loss of a job. "Unable to work now," is the sobering sign-off.
And then there is Bill, who elsewhere in the pages of LawyersandSettlements.com talks about his allegedly defective Zimmer Natural knee. He has two Zimmer knees. The first one he got in 2009 was fine. The second one, a Zimmer Natural knee implanted a year later, is anything but fine. He needed revision surgery two years later, and has his allegedly defective Zimmer knee housed in a bio bag. "I have been told my Zimmer Natural Knee could be defective," he said.
Maybe, maybe not. One Zimmer knee was okay, the other one was allegedly problematic requiring revision surgery. George, the active grandfather in the Zimmer ad, apparently got a good one. But what if he didn't? Would we have heard about it?
CompaniesandMarkets.com (7/12/12) reports that while Zimmer Holdings is headquartered in Warsaw, Indiana—the company has operations in more than 25 countries and employs 8,700 people worldwide. It was reported that Zimmer generated a net profit of $760 million in 2011, on sales of almost $4.5 billion worldwide.
Bill has retained an attorney over his failed Zimmer Natural knee system.
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