While the company issued a voluntary recall of the Zimmer Persona tibial plate, many patients allege that they experienced Zimmer Persona knee problems prior to that announcement. Some who ended up suffering knee complications feel that the company should be held accountable for failing to make consumers and the medical community more aware of the issues.

The reported Zimmer Persona knee problems are associated with the implant’s tibial plate becoming loose from where it was originally positioned. This is a problem referred to as poor seating, and it can lead to a number of different side effects for impacted patients, including pain.

Other implant issues may include instability of the knee, tightness of the knee, decreased mobility, and inflammation. Many of these issues are tied to the tibial plate component.

Problems from the Tibial Plate

The tibial plate is a metal component within the Zimmer Persona system that is implanted into the patient’s bone without the use of cement. The primary purpose of this particular model is to allow the implant to grow into the bone; the two pegs inside the device are supposed to give stability to the implant.

In February 2015 however, amidst complaints about many different Zimmer Persona knee problems, the company announced a voluntary recall that impacted more than 12,000 components linked to the poor seating and other problems.

Two of the primary complaints received by Zimmer from patients who received the knee replacement device had to do with loosening and radiolucent lines.

Loosening, or the device moving from where it was originally positioned, is one of the more common reasons for a total knee arthroplasty revision surgery, which comes with its own set of unique risks and side effects. The other reported issue, radiolucent lines, indicate a poor seating problem when the implant moves from where it was originally intended to be positioned. Both types of loosening may develop into severe pain.

Those patients who had Zimmer Persona knee problems and had to receive revision surgery because of a fracture, instability, loosening of the device, lack of ingrowth or patella tracking issues, may face other complications in the second surgery such as infection, blood clots, bone loss, pain and swelling and discrepancies in leg length.

The complications tied to Zimmer Persona knee problems that ultimately prompted the recall have led some consumers to file lawsuits against the manufacture, seeking compensation for significant medical costs and for the pain and problems of revision surgery.

The support of an experienced attorney is recommended for these types of lawsuits as these require the collection of a great deal of important information used to take legal action. Zimmer Persona knee problems may also have ripple effects throughout the family if the person who had to go through revision surgery had to take additional time off work and this impacted the financial stability of the home.