Will You Resolve to File a Zimmer Persona Lawsuit in 2016?

Washington, DCThis is the time of year when pretty much everything slows down for the holidays. Lawsuits are no different, with litigation and the courts alike taking a bit of a breather. A good a time as any, perhaps, before we break out the egg nog and the good cheer, to review the issues surrounding the Zimmer Persona Recall and how a failed Zimmer Persona Trabecular Metal Tibial Plate may be affecting you.

And how it may be affecting your holiday celebrations. This is the time of year, after all, when family gathers ’round. You may be looking forward to spending time with the grandchildren - although perhaps you’re going to be challenged and limited in that area by Zimmer Persona Knee pain.

There are 11,700 reasons why you might be personally affected; for that is the number of Zimmer Persona Trabecular Metal Tibial Plates that were sold into the health care system before a voluntary Class II recall by Zimmer - and verified by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) - early this year.

Zimmer released the Zimmer Persona Knee at the end of 2012, and touted the product as a personalized knee system designed for a better individual fit than a one-size-fits-all product that normally is affixed with cement, amongst other processes and protocols. The Persona Knee, which features comprehensive sizing, integrated intelligent instruments and side-specific kinematics thought to be superior to more traditional designs, was yet another example of an industry bent on delivering design improvements to an increasingly aging - but actively mobile - population.

A demographic not content with mere gardening or golf akin to a previous generation. Seniors are more active today, taking better care of their health and injecting increasing amounts of physical activity into their day: walking, swimming, running, skiing, squash and racquetball. Cycling.

The Zimmer Persona system was designed to meet this need and address the requirement for ever-increasing mobility.

But it didn’t quite work out that way…

Early on, patients having undergone total knee replacements began presenting with pain and lack of mobility due, it is alleged, to the failure of the Trabecular Metal Tibial Plate - a component of the Zimmer Persona Knee system. Reported complications include loosening of the tibial component, resulting in gaps between the plate and the patient’s bone. Unlike other designs, the tibial plate is not affixed with cement.

Total knee replacements are normally designed to last upwards of 15 years under normal conditions. Some patients were having difficulty within months of a total knee replacement, often requiring revision surgery that can be more complex - and involve a longer recovery - than the initial procedure. The inconvenience associated with a second procedure in such close proximity to the timelines of the first can not only limit enjoyment of life but also hamper a lifestyle that often includes continuing to work, given the reality that may seniors are working longer before they can afford to retire.

Two major surgical procedures with two years can provide many challenges.

It should be noted that the entire Zimmer Persona Personalized Knee System was not recalled, but rather the Trabecular Metal Tibial Plate. The latter was active on the market for just two years, before it was formally recalled in March 2015.

Patients encumbered with Zimmer Persona Knee pain over the yuletide may well wish to consider a Zimmer Persona Metal Plate lawsuit once the holidays are over and the ornaments packed away.