Thursday, February 26, 2009

Debatably the Best: Zimmer Durom Cup Hip Implants

By Maxwell Schmickman

In 2006 Zimmer Holdings, the world's largest manufacturer of orthopedic devices, introduced the Zimmer Durom Cup Hip Implant in the United States. Since that time, thousands of implants have been surgically inserted into American patients. The device had been used successfully in Europe since 2003 before being tried in the U.S. Unfortunately, its road to success has been far bumpier in the U.S. than it has been in Europe, and U.S. sales have been put on hold.

Physicians who performed the unsuccessful surgeries claim that the Zimmer Cup is a defective piece of equipment. Zimmer counters with the fact that it has been so successful in Europe and contends that the surgeons must be at fault. They do agree, however, that surgeons have not had access to adequate training in the correct procedures to use when performing the implant and that this lack of training has been instrumental in the failure of the replacement surgeries. With this fact in mind, Zimmer voluntarily suspended U.S. implant sales until a method of training surgeons is in place. Sadly, some surgeons are still blaming the device itself and are unwilling to perform more implant surgeries no matter what kind of training they are offered.

Patients who suffer ill effects from surgical implants are protected by laws in most U.S. states which say they are entitled to compensation for the pain they endured, all of the extra medical bills they incurred, and the wages they have lost and stand to lose in the future. Under these laws, patients can be compensated if the orthopedic device used in the surgery can be proven to be at fault. With this in mind, hundreds of patients have now filed lawsuits against Zimmer as well as the surgeons who performed the operations. Both sides are still blaming the other, and the court battles are still raging.

Hip replacement surgeries aren't a new idea. In fact, as early as 1891 there is written reference to attempts to replace the femoral head using ivory devices. It wasn't until 1960, however, that the Burmese surgeon, Dr. San Baw, started replacing broken hip bones with ivory. Within the next 20 years Dr. Baw claimed a success rate of 88% on the more than 300 replacement surgeries that he performed.

During the 1970s a man named John Charnley was a pioneer in the development of a 3-part artificial hip joint. This innovative device, or some adaptation of it, was then used by surgeons for over 20 years. By 2003 Zimmer Holdings had introduced its Durom Cup implant in Europe, and it soon came to be known as the best implant on the market.

Even though the devices and surgical procedures used in hip replacements have come a long way since they were first attempted over 100 years ago, they are still prone to problems. Patients using the Zimmer Durom Cup have most often suffered the effects of their implant slipping. This happens because the device is smaller than the original human joint components. If it isn't implanted correctly, then it may move around. Other complications can be loosening of the implanted joint and infection. Even with the risks, however, doctors still encourage patients who have serious damage in their hip joints to get the surgery done.

Zimmer Holdings is still working to develop the training that surgeons will need in order to perform Durom Cup implants successfully. They are also attempting to resolve all of the pending lawsuits surrounding the device. The company is adamant in its belief that the Durom Cup implant, when used correctly, will positively impact the lives of those needing hip replacement surgery, and they hope to get it back on the U.S. market soon.

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