Beasley, Allen, Crow, Methvin, Portis & Miles, P.C.

Four complaints have been filed in federal court in Philadelphia against Stryker Corp., maker of medical devices including postoperative pain pumps, for causing serious arthritis. The Kalamazoo, Michigan-based company is accused of actively concealing or misrepresenting information about the safety and efficacy of its pain pumps.

One of the complainants, Glen Gore, says a Stryker pain pump was implanted in his shoulder after repair surgery in December 2002. After using the pain pump, he was had lost almost all of the cartilage in his shoulder joint, is unable to raise his arm above shoulder level, and now needs replacement surgery.

Gore is among hundreds of patients who are suing the manufacturer of the pain pumps used in shoulder surgery after the pain pumps caused serious and likely permanent injury to their shoulders. The problem dates back to the early 2000s, when pain pump manufacturers began instructing doctors to place the catheter of the pain pump directly into the shoulder joint. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had previously approved its use with the catheter placed in the shoulder tissue but had rejected the manufacturers’ request to have the alternative catheter placement approved, citing the need for studies to ensure the safety.

Placed in the shoulder joint, the catheter dripped medicine that began eating away at the cartilage. Doctors soon began to make the connection between the pain pumps and a condition known as chondrolysis, or specifically Postarthroscopic Glenohumeral Chondrolysis. As a result, pain pump manufacturers like Stryker are facing numerous lawsuits from individuals who have been irreversibly harmed by their product.

Source: Boston.com

This entry was posted on Monday, July 6th, 2009 at 10:41 am and is filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.