Knee Replacement Data Deemed to be Insufficient

An insufficient amount of long-term data exists for total knee replacement surgery, leaving many patients and doctors unaware about side effects from the medical device such as disability and pain, said researchers from the University of Oxford England.

According to Med Page Today, the best data that currently exists comes from national procedure registries, which does not provide doctors with enough guidelines on how to handle defective hip replacements. When problems occur, doctors usually stop using the defective medical device and the manufacturer might remove the product from the market.

Researchers noted that although many medical professionals believe new models of knee replacements will perform better the older models, several studies have shown the opposite and that the newer devices may be more prone to failing. They also noted that these products are “often introduced with little or no clinical evidence.”

Each year, more than 600,000 knee replacement surgeries are performed in the U.S., according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

If you or a loved one has been harmed by an unsafe medical device, contact Sokolove Law for a free legal consultation and to find out if aproduct liability lawyer may be able to represent your case.

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