Medtronic Infuse | Serious Side Effects Lawyers
Missouri • Kansas • Southern Illinois
Medtronic, a company with a dubious track record on product safety, is once again in the news. And, once again, the reports are about its synthetic bone growth product Infuse.
Reported problems with Medtronic's Infuse bone growth product have become so widespread that the Spine Journal devoted the entire June 2011 edition to concerns about Infuse and Medtronic's research[3].
Beginning in 2004, a small group of doctors wrote multiple papers stating that Infuse did not cause any harm to patients. The doctors who wrote the article would eventually receive millions of dollars from Medtronic[4].
The Spine Journal reports that those doctors did not disclose their financial ties to Medtronic and that the papers repeatedly failed to report complications with Infuse. Infuse can cause unwanted, and sometimes out-of-control, bone growth. The Spine Journal found that the complication rate for Infuse was anywhere from 10 to 50 times higher than reported in the Medtronic studies.
The United States Food & Drug Administration only approved Infuse for fusions in the lower back. However, doctors have been using it "off-label" for cervical (neck) spinal fusions, too often with disastrous results.
In addition, The Milwaukee Journal reported that significant cancer risks were not disclosed after being identified in a 2009 study.
Unwanted bone growth in the neck can result in:
- difficulty with breathing and swallowing
- tracheotomies
- emergency surgery
- the placement of feeding tubes
- revision surgery (additional surgery needed too fix the problem)
Other reported problems with Infuse include:
- cancer
- male sterility
- infection
- bone loss
- unwanted bone growth
- nerve damage
- incontinence
If your doctor used Infuse for your spinal fusion surgery and you were harmed, call us. There may be a limited timeframe in which to make a claim and if you hesitate to file suit within the specified time limit, you may lose your opportunity forever. At Brown & Crouppen, our team of attorneys can help you pursue financial compensation for the pain, suffering, and medical costs that you have sustained as a result of Infuse. Call Brown & Crouppen toll-free: 888-842-7944 for your free legal consultation, or save time with our online contact form.
[1] http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2006/July/06_civ_445.html
[2] http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2008/May/08-civ-455.html
[3] http://www.jsonline.mobi/124676453.htm
[4] http://www.jsonline.com/watchdog/watchdogreports/124630959.html
