Over 4 Million Knee Replacements in US Alone

DePuy Knee Lawsuit News

Millions of knee replacement surgeries lead to large numbers of revision surgeries and joint replacement recalls

Monday, June 19, 2017 - As with most popular surgical procedures or advancements in the discovery of new drugs, it is the demand for a product that decides what gets made and how profitable it can be. The market for knee replacements is no different than any other market and since its inception, there have been over 4.5 million knee replacement surgeries in the United States alone. A great number of patients who are experiencing arthritis pain elect to have both knees replaced. Most knee replacement patients are women age 65 to 85. This age group of women has experienced the greatest increase in knee replacements, up over 55% since 1997.

Knee Replacements Being Sold to the Elderly

The average age of a knee replacement patient is 70 years old and this means that most of the time knee replacements are being recommended for people in the later stages of life. More than half of all knee replacement patients are over 65 years old. Most knee replacement patients are retired and almost all of them are opting for total knee replacement due to arthritis that develops in the knees in a person's later years of life. Since 2010, over 600,000 knee total knee replacements have been performed many on people ages 70 to 80 years old. Most elder knee replacement recipients will not live long enough to take action if their pain persists or worsens or if they develop an infection, swelling or a lack of mobility or stability in the joint, and may seek prescription pain medication rather than undergo a second surgery to fix or replace the defective knee replacement.

Younger and Younger Knee Replacement Patient

The other half of the knee replacement market are in their 40's, 50', and 60's and are demanding that knee joint replacement surgery live up to its promises, those being that the joint can be expected to last over 15 years, that pain will diminish, and that given a little physical therapy, a knee replacement patient can be expected to get back to playing sports and enjoying the active lifestyle they had before the surgery. For younger patients knee replacement surgery is recommended by orthopedic doctors in instances of a severe knee injury, chronic knee pain and other knee joint complications. Problems are developing soon after their surgery, sometimes within a year in more active younger people however and many are complaining of a lack of stability in the knee joint, infections at the site where the shin bone or femur are attached to the artificial device, swelling and other symptoms. Many are experiencing total knee joint failure. An incredibly high 7.5% of all knee replacement patients report complications within 90 days of surgery. The complaints range from mechanical failure of the device, blood clots developing, other blood problems, heart issues, infections, and respiratory problems. While 7.5% may not seem like a large number, the percentage amounts to 50,000 Americans annually suffering catastrophic and sometimes deadly side effects of knee replacement surgery.

By far, the most complaints filed of complications from knee replacement surgery are due to the product defects of the Knee Replacement System, DePuy Pharmaceuticals, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson and number two producer of knee replacement devices worldwide. The company has not only had other joint replacement products recalled for defects, but also is involved in thousands of lawsuits, paying billions in compensation to victims of their hip joint failures.

If you have had an knee replacement and have suffered complications such as a lack of mobility, lack of stability, infections, allergic reactions, ongoing pain, or total catastrophic joint failure, call the knee replacement lawyers at The Onder Law firm. We work on a contingency basis and can get you the compensation you deserve. Call us today.

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