Lawsuits

Concerns have been raised that individuals who received a Thoratec HeartMate II heart pump since early 2011 may face a higher risk of blood clots than has previously been associated with the device. As a result, potential claims are being evaluated for those who have suffered a blood clot injury that may be linked to changes to the device, warnings or performance. Continued

Potential side effects of OxyElite Pro, a weight loss and body building dietary supplement, have been linked to an outbreak of cases involving acute hepatitis and liver damage in late 2013. Continued

A recall has been issued for Stryker ShapeMatch Cutting Guides, which were used with Stryker Triathlon knee replacements to help surgeons plan out and mark bones before surgery. A number of former knee replacement patients have experienced problems where their implant was misaligned due to the defective cutting guides.

STRYKER KNEE REPLACEMENT LAWSUIT STATUS Product liability lawyers are reviewing potential Stryker ShapeMatch recall lawsuits for individuals who have experienced problems following surgery where a Stryker Triathalon knee replacement was used, such as:

• Pain and Discomfort
• Joint Instability
• Fractures
• Limited Mobility
• Revision Surgery to Remove and Replace the Artificial Knee

>>SUBMIT INFO ABOUT STRYKER KNEE PROBLEMS<<

OVERVIEW: The Stryker ShapeMatch Cutting Guide was sold with the company’s Triathalon Total Knee System to assist in the placement and marking of bone before cutting.

The single-use, disposable guides are created from plans submitted by the surgeon after taking 3D imaging from an MRI or CT scan to determine the appropriate placements for a specific patient. The surgeon creates the plans, submits them through a web app and reviews the information before approval. However, due to problems with the Stryker ShapeMatch software, many of the cutting guides provided by the manufacturer did not match the appropriate specifications.

As a result of using a defective ShapeMatch Cutting Guide, patients could experience problems with their Stryker Triathlon knee replacement that result in severe pain, joint instability and the need for revision surgery to remove or replace the misaligned knee implant.

STRYKER KNEE RECALL Stryker stopped selling the ShapeMatch Cutting Guide in November 2012. A Product Notification was sent to all hospitals and medical providers using the system in January 2013, informing them of the problem and risk mitigation factors.

It appears that the FDA was not informed of the Stryker knee problems or of the many complaints received by the manufacturer. The FDA issued a warning letter to Stryker in March, claiming that the company had failed to notify the agency of a medical device recall, but the letter did not mention the ShapeMatch Cutting Guides by name.

In April 2013, a Stryker ShapeMatch Cutting Guide recall was issued and categorized by the FDA as a Class I recall, because of the substantial likelihood for serious injury. At that time, the FDA had received a total of 44 reports of ShapeMatch Cutting Guide problems, including 41 malfunctions and three injuries.

According to allegations raised in Stryker knee replacement lawsuits filed over the ShapeMatch recall, the manufacturer:

• Failed to properly report problems with the Stryker Triathalon knee replacement
• Failed to conduct an investigation and analysis of the knee replacement failures
• Failed to report any and all information regarding corrections
• Failed to adequately warn surgeons and hospitals about the risk of problems
• Failed to conduct necessary design validation

As a result of problems following Stryker knee replacement surgery, product liability lawyers are reviewing potential claims nationwide. Financial compensation may be available through a Stryker ShapeMatch recall lawsuit as a result of the manufacturers actions, in which they appear to have placed their desire for profits before patient safety.

Thousands of children have suffered serious and potentially life threatening injuries from laundry detergent poisoning caused by single use pods or capsules, which have been sold without adequate warnings or safety precautions to prevent young children from accessing and placing the packs in their mouths.

LAUNDRY DETERGENT PACK LAWSUITS: Potential product liability lawsuits are being reviewed and evaluated by lawyers for children who have suffered laundry detergent poisoning from pods or packs sold by a number of different manufacturers. Cases are reviewed on a contingency fee basis, which means there are no fees or expenses unless a recovery is received.

>>SUBMIT INFO ABOUT A LAUNDRY DETERGENT PACK LAWSUIT<<

OVERVIEW OF LAUNDRY DETERGENT POISONING RISK: Laundry packs are single-load use capsules filled with detergent that are dropped into the washing machine with each load. They are meant to be convenient and less messy, allowing consumers to avoid the need to use measuring cups to determine the appropriate amount of detergent for each load.

Manufacturers have decided to sell laundry packs in packaging that often resembles candy, with many of the pods featuring bright colors and an exterior that is similar in texture and appearance to teething rings or other infant toys.

Since the introduction of laundry detergent pods, poison control centers nationwide have received thousands of calls involving children placing the packs in their mouth, often resulting in severe illness and in several cases causing death.

The American Association of Poison Control Centers reported 6,216 exposures were reported in 2012 and that nearly 5,000 children were exposed to some brand of single-use laundry detergent pod in the first half of 2013 alone.

In August 2012, a seven-month-old Florida infant died after consuming one of the pods. The industry says it is currently in the process of developing voluntary safety standards for the pods in order to improve child safety.

In November 2012, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) issued a laundry detergent pod poisoning safety alert to highlight the poisoning risk for children. The CPSC issued the following recommendations for parents:

• Do not let children handle laundry detergent pods
• Keep detergent pods sealed in their original packaging, and ensure that they are locked up, out of sight and reach of children
• Call Poison Help immediately at 1-800-222-1222 if the packets were swallowed or if exposure to the eye occurred.

As a result of their unsafe design, children have suffered injuries and death due to exposure to laundry detergent pods. A number of individuals throughout the United States are now pursuing compensation through a laundry detergent pod lawsuit as a result of the manufacturers’ failure to properly design these detergent pods.

A number of women have reported suffering serious and debilitating injuries from side effects of Mirena IUD, where the implanted birth control perforates the uterus, migrates to other areas of the body and causes infections or other problems. Continued