Depuy Attune Knee Replacements Failing at Alarming Rate

The race to create a better knee replacement is always ongoing. Whenever a large medical market exists, manufacturers always want a bigger and bigger piece of the pie, and the best way to do that is to develop a better product. The bad way is to market an inferior product aggressively and hope to sell a lot of units before anyone notices. The Depuy Attune Knee seems to fall into the latter category.

No knee replacement lasts forever. Due to the functional limitations of the joint and wear-and-tear over time, a person should expect to need another procedure within ten or fifteen years. But the Attune knee is lasting nowhere near that long, with failures commonly occurring within a few years of the surgery, and sometimes within a few months.

Patients who receive a knee replacement should always be educated on signs of failure, but this is particularly important for individuals whose knee is more likely to fail early. The earliest, clearest sign is a loss of functional balance and mobility. Other early signs can include pain and fever, particularly if the joint has become infected due to destabilization.

The problem with the Attune Knee system occurs from the very beginning of the procedure, as the patellar plate often fails to properly cement in place. With this part of the replacement knee free-floating, damage to the joint is inevitable. In many cases, the structure of the knee is left in a worse condition than before the surgery occurs. The need for additional surgery is also problematic, both monetarily and because follow-up procedures often have a higher failure rate than initial ones.

If you or someone you love received a knee replacement, and the device failed earlier than would be expected, or did additional damage to the joint, please consult with an experienced attorney regarding your case. Holding manufacturers responsible for their defective devices is the only way to deter companies from continuing to release dangerous products.