FDA Issues Class 1 Recall of Zimmer Shoulder Replacement Device

Written By:
Jessie Paluch
Jessie Paluch

Attorney Jessie Paluch, founder of TruLaw, has over 25 years of experience as a personal injury and mass tort attorney, and previously worked as an international tax attorney at Deloitte. Jessie collaborates with attorneys nationwide — enabling her to share reliable, up-to-date legal information with our readers.

This article has been written and reviewed for legal accuracy and clarity by the team of writers and legal experts at TruLaw and is as accurate as possible. This content should not be taken as legal advice from an attorney. If you would like to learn more about our owner and experienced injury lawyer, Jessie Paluch, you can do so here.

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FDA Issues Class 1 Recall of Zimmer Shoulder Replacement Device

In February 2017, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an urgent recall of the Zimmer Shoulder Replacement device due to a high rate of fracture.

Zimmer Shoulder Replacement

According to Zimmer Biomet, problems with the device are due to its design, not a manufacturing error.

Fracture of the device is known to cause permanent loss of shoulder function, pain, infection, and other severe injuries.

The Class 1 recall, the highest level possible, indicates that a reasonable probability exists that use of the product will cause serious adverse health consequences or death, according to the FDA.

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Reverse Shoulder Replacement Considered Problematic

Reverse shoulder replacement, less common that total shoulder replacement, is most often performed on patients who have sustained large rotator cuff tears that have caused them to develop a painful kind of arthritis known as cuff tear arthropathy.

Many reverse shoulder replacement patients have already undergone an unsuccessful total shoulder replacement procedure.

Reverse total shoulder replacement is by nature considered problematic, with a complication rate of four times that of conventional total replacement surgery.

Zimmer Biomet in particular has had issues with its shoulder replacement devices.

  • In 2010, Zimmer Biomet recalled the Comprehensive Shoulder Humeral Tray with Locking Ring after receiving complaints regarding the fracturing of the device.
  • Then on December 20, 2016, the company recalled the Comprehensive Reverse Shoulder because the device was fracturing at a higher rate than stated in the labeling. Fractures could lead to revision surgeries and cause a number of adverse health consequences, including permanent loss of shoulder function, infection, and death.
  • On February 16, 2017, the FDA identified the 2016 recall a Class I, the most serious type of recall the agency issues.

In 2016, Biomet Inc. agreed to pay $350,000 to a Colorado man who filed a Biomet lawsuit alleging failure of two Zimmer Biomet Reverse Shoulder Injuries, due to the component that the company had recalled in 2010.

Please share this article with individuals worried about loss of shoulder function from fractures due to design error of Zimmer Shoulder Replacement.

Written By:
Jessie Paluch
Jessie Paluch

Experienced Attorney & Legal SaaS CEO

With over 25 years of legal experience, Jessie is an Illinois lawyer, a CPA, and a mother of three.  She spent the first decade of her career working as an international tax attorney at Deloitte.

In 2009, Jessie co-founded her own law firm with her husband – which has scaled to over 30 employees since its conception.

In 2016, Jessie founded TruLaw, which allows her to collaborate with attorneys and legal experts across the United States on a daily basis. This hypervaluable network of experts is what enables her to share reliable legal information with her readers!

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