Patients who were implanted with the Exactech Optetrak knee implant may be eligible for compensation through a lawsuit against the device’s manufacturers.

The Exactech Optetrak knee implant is a device used to replace the natural joint during knee replacement surgery. Exactech has been making Optetrak implants for years, but their model released in 2011 utilized a new “finned” tibial plate that was different from other implants Exactech had released.

Optetrak implants with the finned tibial plate were implicated in cases of implant failure and lack of adherence to surgical cement. This weak connection could have prevented the implant from withstanding the typical stress associated with movement, resulting in fragmentation and wear on the insert.

This issue can allegedly cause serious complications including pain, limited mobility, joint instability, swelling, sensitivity and visible loosening.

A study was published by Orthopaedics & Traumatology: Surgery & Research, examining 106 patients with the Exactech Optetrak knee implant 25 months after their initial summary.

This study found that patients with the Exactech Optetrak knee implant were consistently disappointed with their implant experience. 22 percent of the patients in the study reported experiencing pain and the need for using painkillers on a regular basis. 15 percent of patients reported being disappointed or dissatisfied and 22 percent were beginning to suffer from tibial implant lessening.

Of the 110 implants in 106 patients, 13 implants required revision surgery.

As shown in the study, the alleged defect associated with the Optetrak knee implant may require patients to undergo revision surgery, a difficult procedure where the defective or problematic implant is replaced with a new device.

Depending on the damage caused by a defective knee implant, a surgeon may need to remove damaged bone and graft new, healthy bone in order to successfully mount a new implant. Additionally, the recovery process can be difficult and there is no guarantee that patients won’t require further surgery to correct future issues.

In 2013, two years after the tibial plate issue came to light, Exactech Optetrak knee implant devices were redesigned to have a “fit” tibial tray instead of the previous finned design. The Optetrak knee implant was recalled in a Class 2 Device Recall in 2011, but the reasons were unrelated to the alleged design defect and cited labeling issues.

Instead of informing the public about the defects associated with their device, Exactech allegedly replaced customers’ inventory of the older device with the newer, improved device.

Lawsuits regarding the issue claim that Exactech’s “silent recall” shows that the company knew about the defects in their original design but chose to cover up the issue and continue marketing their devices to consumers and physicians.

These lawsuits often aim to hold Exactech accountable for allegedly concealing the defects associated with their implant, which may have harmed consumers who believed the product to be safe.

If you were implanted with the Exactech knee implant and later had to have revision surgery due to complications, you may be eligible to file a lawsuit against the manufacturers. A knee implant lawsuit could help recover compensation for medical expenses, disability, pain and suffering, loss of earnings and more.

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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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