Pain pump manufacturers named in the lawsuit include Moog Inc., Stryker Corp., Orthofix Inc., Linvatee Corp, I-Flow Inc, Breg Inc., and DJO Inc.

A study published by The American Journal of Sports Medicine first brought to light the connection between PAGCL, a type of chondrolysis in the shoulder, and pain pumps used during shoulder repair surgery. As a result of that study, hundreds of lawsuits have been filed against manufacturers of pain pump devices and pharmaceutical companies as more and more victims begin to put the pieces together and realize they were unnecessarily harmed by the devices used to alleviate pain during shoulder surgery.

There is no cure for chrondrolysis. The condition causes continuous pain; weakness in the shoulder; clicking, popping or grinding in the shoulder; and/or decreased range of motion. Some who suffer from chondrolysis may require complete shoulder replacement.

Source: Buffalo Business Journal

SOURCE: Pain Pumps › More lawsuits filed against pain pump manufacturers

Labrum repair surgery requires months to heal because the fibrocartilage has a poor blood supply. During surgery, the labrum is stitched together and anchored to the bone. It generally takes about six months for the tissue to heal. Typically, surgeons perform authroscopic surgery to repair shoulder injuries in patients and often use pain pumps to help alleviate pain for up to 72 hours following surgery. Pain pumps offer an alternative to narcotics and pain killers; however, misinformation about how the pain pumps should be used provided by pain pump manufacturers years ago have resulted in debilitating – and for some athletes, career-ending – injury to the shoulder joint.

The injuries stem from a change in the way pain pump manufacturers began to market the devices to surgeons, according to Frank Woodson, shareholder for Beasley Allen Law Firm. When the pain pumps were originally approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the pump’s catheter was to be placed in the shoulder tissue. However, in the 1990s and early 2000s, pain pump manufacturers began advising surgeons to place the pain pump catheters in the joint space, or intra-articular area, allowing pain medication to go directly into the joint space. This use had not been approved by the FDA. Shortly after the pumps were used in the inappropriate manner, per the advice of the pain pump manufacturers, “doctors began to see patients suffer severe damage to their shoulder cartilage that we’ve rarely seen before,” Woodson said.

What resulted was the loss of cartilage, or joint space, commonly called chondrolysis. It leads to severe pain because the cartilage in the shoulder space is gone, causing bones to rub together. As the condition progresses, patients may require shoulder replacement and it makes normal daily activities painful and difficult.

There are approximately 140 lawsuits filed by people who have been injured by misuse of these pain pumps. All are pending in state and federal courts throughout the country. “There are many more cases under review across the country and there will likely be many more filed,” Woodson said. “As patients and physicians learn more about the link between pain pumps and chrondrolysis, I think you’ll see many more people come forward.”

Source: Google: AFP

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