Exactech knee failures have been the subject of recent concern for the patient population and medical community due to numerous reports of device failure.

Patient advocates are investigating reports of Exactech knee failures, trying to determine if the patients are eligible for legal action. Some patients who suffered debilitating pain and mobility pain due to Exactech knee failure and had to undergo revision surgery, have opted to file legal action.

According to the FDA, patients have been reporting early device failure after having the Exactech knee implant implemented. The injury reports indicate that Exactech knee failures were caused by tibial insert wear and tear of the prosthetic. More specifically, the device’s tibial component was loosening at the cement-tibial-implant interface. Injury reports detailing this problem can be found in the FDA’s MAUDE database.

In addition to the injury reports, a recent study published in Orthopaedics & Traumatology: Surgery & Research observed how the knee implant performed after implantation.

The study analyzed 110 Exactech Optetrak knee implantsw in 106 patients, for up to 25 months after the implantation surgery. Researchers noticed patients had experienced a number of problems, which occurred before the end of the 25 follow up observation period.

According to the Exactech knee study, the following statistics were reported:

• 15% of patients reported being disappointed and dissatisfied
• 22% of patients reported pain and needed painkillers to contend with the discomfort
• 22% of patients reported they started to suffer from tibial component loosening
• 21% of patients reported having signs of patello-femoral conflict
• 13 patients reported needing revision surgery due to tibial component loosening, patello-femoral instability or patello-femoral pain

Overview of Knee Replacement Failure

Exactech is one of several knee replacement implant manufacturers that had issued recalls of their prostheses due to high number of early failure reports. Two other companies, Arthrex and DePuy, have also initiated voluntary recalls of their knee replacement devices due to reported problems.

Knee replacement surgery is commonly conducted in the United States, with approximately 4.4 million Americans already having undergone the procedure. Often patients are recommended knee replacement when suffering from traumatic injury or degenerative disease, which limits the patient’s movements.

Knee replacement devices are supposed to last years inside the patient before needing maintenance, but that has reportedly not been the case for many patients. According to injury reports describing instances of Exatech knee failures, patients may potentially experience a number of complications including:

• Debilitating Pain
• Limited Mobility
• Swelling
• Joint Instability
• Warmth from Joint Area
• Infection
• Fractures
• Disassociation of Implant
• Component Position Changes
• Patello-Femoral Tracking-Lateral Release (kneecap moves out of place)

Patients who suffer these complications may have to undergo revision surgery in order to resolve these problems. Patients who suffer problems like these may qualify to participate in an ongoing Exactech investigation.

Get a Free Knee Replacement Case Review

If you or a loved one suffered from complications caused by an Attune knee implant, an Arthrex knee implant, or an Exactech knee implant, you may have a legal claim. In general, knee replacement surgery lawsuits are filed individually by each plaintiff and are not class actions. Get help now by filling out the form on this page for a FREE case evaluation.

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