Need a mesothelioma lawyer? We will fight for you!
› $150,000,000 verdict in personal injury case
The shoulder joint has the greatest range of motion of all our joints and allows us to use our arms for various tasks, from throwing pitches to supporting our bodies. When the shoulder is injured, surgery may be required to relieve pain and restore mobility. However, some individuals have found that surgery on their shoulder has made their condition worse.
Pain pumps are devices used to deliver a steady amount of medication to a wound site for up to 72 hours following surgery. They are often used in shoulder surgery. The balloon-shaped part of the device rests outside the body and is attached to catheters that feed into the shoulder tissue. Once the medication has been used, patients are instructed to simply pull out the catheter.
Three decades ago, Chuck Short dislocated his shoulder joint while pole-vaulting. The nagging pain and limited use eventually led his doctors to recommend a total shoulder replacement. Much had changed in the 30 years since Short originally injured his shoulder. Back then, he would nave needed to stay in the hospital for three to five days. But thanks to innovations in medical technology, Short was able to go home a mere two hours after surgery. The reason? A pain pump that rested outside his body but had a tiny catheter that fed into his wound site. The pump administered gradual doses of Novocaine into his shoulder for up to 72 hours.
One of the three principal shoulder pain pump manufacturers facing lawsuits over serious injuries associated with the use of the pain pumps is no stranger to controversy. It was also engaged in an illegal scheme for which it was prosecuted for paying hundreds of thousands – and possibly millions – of dollars to physicians for using its hip and knee replacement products exclusively.
Pain pumps are devices that are used to deliver medication to a surgical site. Medication is stored in a balloon that rests outside the body. A catheter is fed from the balloon and implanted into the surgical site, where it delivers medication for up to 72 hours. Once all the medication has been released, the patients simply pulls the catheter out.
Pain pumps have been used for years by physicians to effectively deliver pain medication to surgical sites, for example, after shoulder surgery. So why are so many cases suddenly being filed against the manufacturers of pain pumps?
“I think what we’re seeing is that physicians are finally seeing the relationship between pain pumps and chondrolysis – especially since the first lawsuits were filed a couple years ago,” says Frank Woodson, shareholder with Beasley Allen Law Firm. “In addition, literature is now being published about the connection between pain pumps and chondrolysis. The more information that becomes available, the more people are learning what may be causing their shoulder problems.”
Intra-articular pain pumps were never meant to harm people. But according to mounting lawsuits against the makers of pain pumps, the manufacturers knowingly put patients at risk.
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.
For a long time, physicians didn’t know why patients who had shoulder surgery began suffering from a painful condition known as chondrolysis, in which the patient loses the cartilage in the shoulder. “This goes all the way back to about the year 2000. People who had surgery seven or eight years ago who thought they would recover are now seeing that they have lost their cartilage and they don’t know why,” says Frank Woodson, shareholder with Beasley Allen Law Firm. “However, now that the literature is expanding and more and more doctors are finding out about this and they’re telling patients to contact attorneys to get advice on what recourse they may have.”
The season is over for Kansas City Royals outfielder Coco Crisp, who will undergo surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder. Royals manager Trey Hillman calls it a “pretty big blow” to the team. Crisp, who began experiencing pain in his shoulder last April, hasn’t played since June 12 after the pain in his shoulder began hampering his production. Prior to going on the disabled list, Crisp’s production dropped from .239 to .261.
![[ Beasley Allen Law Firm Logo ]](http://www.painpump.net/wp-content/themes/system-unity/images/logo.png){kind=logo}