Friday, July 5, 2013

Lawsuits Begins Piling Up One Year After Smith & Nephew Recall

Lawsuits against Smith & Nephew, a British hip implant maker, has been piling up after problems were found among its R3 acetabular hip system and the company ordered a product recall a little more than a year ago, online news reports say. The R3 metal liner of the R3 acetabular system, according to a report from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), was associated with more than the number of expected revisions. The metal parts of the implant were at risk of shedding when it rubs against each other. The metal ions reportedly built-up in the bloodstream, leading to metal poisoning, according to health studies. The company continued to downplay the complications, stating that the recall was not related to the incidences of metal poisoning. There were also other cases of fractures, dislocations and infections that were linked to the product. The recall of its R3 system occured was followed by a stream of negative feedback and complaints.


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Nearly A Year After Smith & Nephew Recall Lawsuits Are Piling Up

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Smokers Face Higher Risks of Hip Replacement Failure

he list of reasons for which people should quit smoking persists on gathering number. In addition to increasing the risks of developing critical diseases such as heart-related problems, lung cancer, respiratory ailments, and diabetes, according to a new study which was presented during the annual meeting of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons on March 20, 2013 in Chicago, Illinois, smoking may also create huge problems to a recipient of a hip implant. 

smith and nephew hip lawsuit
Dr. Bhaveen H. Kapadia, of the Rubin Institute for Advanced Orthopedics of Sinai Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland and the lead researcher, reports that smokers may require more revision surgeries after a total hip replacement operation and may also be exposed to more potential complications. These concerns extend to smokers regardless of the number of packs or years involved and whether or not these patients quit smoking before their hip surgery, the study further revealed. 

This study used as basis the records of surgical procedures done over a three-year period from 2007 to 2009 in one medical center. Participants of this research consisted of 110 smokers between the ages of 35 to 84 years with a mean age of 55 years. Factors such as gender, date of surgery, age within five years, medical comorbidities, and immune suppressive conditions were used as bases in matching a control group on a ratio of 2:1. The group was divided by the researchers depending on the participant’s cigarette consumption and also further stratified as either current or former smokers for a more detailed research. 

It was determined, at the conclusion of the research, that smokers had an overall survivorship of 92 percent with nine revision surgeries as compared to the 99 percent enjoyed by the non-smokers. Causes for these revision surgeries were identified as due to infections for five cases and pain and Acetabular component loosening for the other four revisions. These revision surgeries were made on six of the participants who were current smokers (9.2 percent) and two from the group of former smokers (4.4 percent). 

It was reported by Dr. Mara L. Schenker, an orthopedic surgery expert at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, during the meeting that fractured bones in smokers do not heal as quickly or as well than the non-smokers. With today’s emphasis on cost control particularly with revision surgeries which may come out very costly for the hip recipient, she added that these findings may have a significant impact on patient care.
That all efforts must be exerted to make patients stop or at least minimize tobacco use before undergoing total hip replacement surgery was the recommendation made by the study authors during the same conference. This recommendation will certainly benefit the hip surgery patient by minimizing the risks, who may already be facing potential complications with the reports of massive product failures of several hip replacement systems which have resulted to legal actions such as the Smith & Nephew lawsuits. 


References:

http://www.smithandnephewhiplawsuit.com
medscape.com/viewarticle/781768
health.am/ab/more/current-and-past-smokers-face/