DePuy recalled the Attune® knee replacement in 2015. The first lawsuit was filed in Alabama by a person who needed surgery when his Attune knee implant failed.
UPDATE: 1st Attune Knee Lawsuit Filed in Alabama
In September 2017, lawyers in Alabama filed what is believed to be the 1st lawsuit involving a patient who needed surgery when their DePuy Attune® knee replacement loosened and failed prematurely. Click here to read more.
DePuy Attune Knee Recall
DePuy Orthopedics Inc. issued a worldwide Class II recall for approximately 3,274 Attune knee implants in June 2015. The problem was that a small wire spring coil on the ATTUNE Knee Tibial Articulation Surface could become damaged and come off. The wire spring could be left in the patient.
Patients May Need Another Surgery
Patients are suffering loose components within a few months of surgery — and surgeons who try to fix the problem are finding little to no cement attaching the patient’s bones to the metal baseplate of the Attune knee replacement. Over 100,000 patients worldwide have been implanted with DePuy Attune Knee, and thousands of them are at risk of premature failures and complications.
“Unusually High Rate of Early Failure”
DePuy Attune knee replacement can loosen and fail within a few months, according to a study published in June 2017.
Surgeons removed Attune knee implants from 15 patients suffering from pain and limited mobility within 2 years of knee surgery. All 15 patients had loose components and tibial baseplate de-bonding. The surgeons also blamed the failures on design flaws.
Source: Khlopas, A., et al. (2017). Unusually High Rate of Early Failure of Tibial Component in ATTUNE Total Knee Arthroplasty System at Implant–Cement Interface. The Journal Of Knee Surgery, 30(05), 435-439. doi:10.1055/s-0037-1603756
Symptoms of Attune Knee Failure
Your knee implant may have loosened or failed if your knee “gives out” or you can’t put weight on it. Other common symptoms include:
- Pain
- Limited mobility
- Unstable knees
- Loose implant
- Poor range of motion
- Bone or muscle damage
- Inflammation
- Swelling
DePuy Updates Attune Knee to Improve Bonding
After numerous complaints about poor bonding between the Attune knee and the patient’s bones, DePuy did not recall the Attune Tibial Baseplate. Instead, DePuy changed the design and launched a new version called the “Attune S+” with different cut-outs on the underside.
Failure to Recall the Attune Knee Implant
There is no excuse for companies who fail to recall a defective knee implant. When a knee implant loosens prematurely, patients can suffer many serious complications like infections, nerve damage, bone fractures, and permanently limited mobility. At the very least, patients will likely need another surgery to remove and replace the implant.
1st Attune Knee Lawsuit filed in Alabama
Lawyers in Alabama have filed what is believed to be the 1st lawsuit in the United States involving a DePuy Attune® knee replacement that loosened and failed prematurely. The lawsuit was filed in the Circuit Court of Tuscaloosa County, Alabama on September 13, 2017.
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