Health Articles

Medical Malpractice Attorneys Against Unapproved Devices in Surgery

When you are a surgery patient, you should be able to trust your doctor to have your best interests at heart. You are putting your health, recovery, and life in their hands. Unfortunately, due to the use of unapproved devices in surgery, many surgeons are placing patients at high risk for medical malpractice. This negligence can result in otherwise preventable illness, injury, and death.

Our medical malpractice attorneys have seen a rise in cases involving the use of unapproved devices in surgery.

With so many innovations in the global field of healthcare, doctors and surgeons have access to a wide range of treatment options. However, before distribution, these treatments are supposed to be tested and approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). When unapproved devices are used in surgeries it can have tragic consequences. There was a recent widespread case involving the OtisMed Corporation and the distribution of the OtisKnee. The device was intended for knee replacement surgeries, which is the most common type of elective surgery in the United States. The company originally applied for FDA review, but the device was rejected because it was deemed unsafe and defective.

Medical devices are an annual $110 billion industry. With so much money at stake, OtisMed decided to sell and distribute the OtisKnee without FDA approval. Over 18,000 OtisKnee devices were sold between 2006 and 2009. OtisMed and the surgeons who purchased the device knowingly used a defective product on unsuspecting patients. Victims experienced immobility, debilitating pain, misalignment, and a second knee surgery. It also resulted in an $80 million settlement of criminal and civil charges against OtisMed.

The OtisKnee is just one of many unapproved devices that have been used by surgeons. If you have been victimized, the medical malpractice attorneys of Prochaska, Howell & Prochaska LLC have the experience necessary to assist in your recovery. We give every client the personal and professional treatment they deserve. If you have been injured by an unapproved device, please call our office for a consultation. Our medical malpractice attorneys are honored to serve your case!


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