› $150,000,000 verdict in personal injury case
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.
Kansas City Royals outfielder Coco Crisp could be out for the rest of the season if the injury to his right shoulder turns out to be a torn labrum. He is getting second opinion from the renowned surgeon Dr. James Andrews. If it is torn, Crisp will have to decide whether to undergo immediate season-ending surgery or to put off surgery in hopes he can play again this season, according to The Kansas City Star.
Many athletes who rely on their throwing motion for their livelihood consider the torn shoulder labrum one of the most fearsome injuries. In many cases, it can ruin a career or at the very least, leave them benched for weeks if not months.
Last February, experts thought Orlando Magic point guard Jameer Nelson was done for the season when he underwent surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder. Recovery usually takes about six months, and over the past four months the Magic began inching toward the Finals. Now it seems, just four months post surgery, Nelson has stepped back into the game to help his team fight for the title against the Los Angeles Lakers.
Nine people in Arizona who claim they were permanently injured by a medical device designed to deliver pain medication to the shoulder joint, are suing the makers of the device for more than $68 million, according to the Phoenix Business Journal.
Postoperative pain pump marketer I-Flow Corporation is facing more lawsuits, this time from a pain pump competitor over the package inserts I-Flow distributes about its On-Q pain pump. Zone Medical LLC claims I-Flow is misrepresenting latex exposure risks and putting patients and health care professionals at risk in order to gain commercial advantages.
Postoperative pain delivery system developer and marketer I-Flow Corporation may be facing lawsuits for needlessly injuring patients by instructing physicians to use their products incorrectly, but the company doesn’t seem to be suffering. The company recently announced that total revenue for the first quarter of 2009 has skyrocketed by 9 percent over the first quarter of 2008 – an increase of about $2.5 million, according to OC Metro.
Mathew McKeown, 23, of Blue Ash, Ohio, dreamed of playing pro ball. He was an all-city football player in high school and earned a scholarship to play for Miami. Making it to the NFL was just a matter of time.
But during a game in October 2006, McKeown’s left shoulder was injured while trying to recover a fumble. Doctors implanted the catheter of a On-Q PainBuster pain pump manufactured by I-Flow into his shoulder joint. For up to 72 hours, medication gradually dripped into his shoulder and slowly began eating away at the cartilage.
