Those patients who have recently received a knee replacement probably have questions about whether the Zimmer Persona Knee is affected by a recall. The Zimmer Persona tibial plate recall was terminated on March 13, 2018, meaning that the recall is no longer active.

Some patients who had their Zimmer Persona knee implanted prior to that date might begin to experience problems and pain which could require a revision surgery. If the implant was given to a patient prior to the termination date of the recall, problems could still begin to manifest for the patient like pain or plate loosening.

The Zimmer Persona knee system was the subject of numerous complaints from patients who received a knee implant. Recipients thought a knee replacement would impact and improve their mobility but rather left them suffering from pain, device break down and revision surgeries.

Reasons to Get a Knee Replacement

One of the most common reasons for undergoing knee replacement with a Zimmer Persona knee system, prior to the recall, was a diagnosis of knee osteoarthritis. Knee osteoarthritis is a condition that can impact a patient’s every move: climbing stairs, walking or even lying down and sitting.

Many doctors advise attempting other treatment methods first before undergoing knee replacement surgery. Some patients, however, continue to suffer significantly even after getting medications injected into the joint. Physical therapy, exercise and weight loss might also prove ineffective at addressing all of the problems with the patient’s knee.

Zimmer Persona Knee Device

The Zimmer knee device that was named in the recall was the Persona trabecular metal tibial plate. This was a Class 2 device recall that was initially posted in March of 2015.

Some of the problems that patients reported with their Zimmer Persona knee system included aseptic loosening of the joints, premature failure of the knee replacement, difficulty bending the knee or walking on it, having to undergo revision surgeries to remove or correct the Zimmer Persona knee and radiolucent lines on an exam in the knee.

According to many of these patients who were affected by the recall, flaws in the Zimmer Persona’s design led to unnecessary pain, risks, and complications. It also allegedly led to revision surgeries. Undergoing revision surgery also exposes patients to the risk of developing infections and other complications.

Since the Zimmer Persona knee was originally approved by the FDA in 2012, multiple adverse event reports began to show signs that the device was failing early. Many of these cases had to do with premature loosening of the joint replacement device. This is classified as early failure and more often than not, requires revision surgery.

At the time of the Zimmer voluntary recall, more than 11,000 Zimmer Persona knee replacement devices had already been implanted.

A Class 2 recall is assigned when it is discovered that a medical device could cause reversible or temporary health threats. If a revision surgery is successful in removing and replacing the faulty device, the Persona’s joint loosening and radiolucent line development could be considered reversible.