Defective Medical Products
Handling Cases of Medical Product Liability
Failed or defective medical devices cause thousands of injuries each year, according to various studies done by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In order to make a successful medical device defect claim, you should contact an experienced local personal injury lawyer who has an established reputation for both getting results in medical device and personal injury cases.
Types of Damages
Plaintiffs in medical device injury claims can declare three basic types of damages:
Monetary losses can include lost income as the result of an illness or injury exacerbated or caused by a defective medical advice, both future and past lost income, and any resulting losses from missed business opportunities.
Subjective losses may cover a wide range of issues that can include relationship issues, such as loss of association or companionship that stems from injuries or illnesses caused by a defective medical device. It may also include emotional trauma, pain and suffering, and the inability to feel pleasure from normal life activities such as eating, exercise, and social or sexual interaction.
Punitive awards are given when a judge or jury wants to punish the designer or manufacturer of a medical device for particularly malicious or intentionally reckless behavior.
Examples of Recalled Products
Here are a few recalled defective medical devices currently under investigation:
St. Jude defibrillators - these devices are linked to cases where the device's wires perforated or punctured a patient's heart
Animas insulin pumps - the battery cap on these pumps may lose contact, creating a situation in which a patient is not able to accurately regulate insulin levels
Medtronic pacemakers - the batteries in these devices deplete rapidly as the result of an internal short
Medtronic Concertos - a former Medtronic engineer claims there was not enough testing of the wireless capacity for this device
Transvaginal mesh - this device, used after Pelvic Organ Prolapse (POP) and Stress Urinary Incontinence surgery, can cause serious complications
Boston Scientific infusion ports - the end of this device may detach when inserted, resulting in the need for more surgery
Multi-Link Vision stent - after being implanted in the vascular system these devices were not staying in place
Lifesite dialysis - these devices may have caused or contributed to a number of incidents of death or injury among dialysis patients
Biomet hip replacements - a component in this device can fracture and require surgical replacement
NuvaRing - this contraceptive device for women has been reported to increase risk of blood clots, stroke, and heart attack
Fentanyl patch - a flaw in these patches could cause some patients to overdose and die
The parties that may be deemed responsible for defective product lawsuits and against whom such claims can be made include designers, manufacturers, distributors, retailers, and even resellers.
In order to explore whether you should pursue a medical device defect liability claim, it is recommended that you seek the advice of skilled personal injury attorneys. Contact our attorneys and we will set up a consultation as soon as possible. You can e-mail us or phone us directly so that we can set up a personal meeting. We invite you to investigate our firm through this website and elsewhere in order to ensure yourself of our competence and success in winning and settling product liability lawsuits. We are active members of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum and high-profile members of the Arizona Trial Lawyers Association (AzTLA). Our Phoenix law firm has won the praise not only from the people whom we have represented, but also from our legal and judicial peers.