Pain Pump Lawsuit Attorney
 

              An array of makers of pain pumps are being sued for claims that the devices cause pain and permanent injury. Nine patients in Arizona that are users of a pain pump are asking for 68 million dollars in damages, as reported by BizJournal.

              The Nine Arizona patients are only a handful of the 100 odd lawsuits across U.S. that declares akin, permanent problems with the pumps. Plaintiffs in the Arizona cases claim that the makers of the device neglected to notify doctors and the medical community that implanting the pain pump devices could bring about permanent painful cartilage damage. The makers of the devices also failed to inform physicians that the FDA refused clearance to promote the device for use in the shoulder on many different occasions.

              Intra-articular pain pumps used in shoulder surgeries has been linked to a condition called Postarthroscopic Glenohumeral Chondrolysis (PAGCL): the condition that occurs in the shoulder when the cartilage between the humeral head and the glenoid, also known as the ball and socket of your shoulder, has broken down to the point where bone meets bone. Once the cartilage has been damaged it cannot heal itself. Intra-articular pain pumps are catheters that are placed into the shoulder joint to deliver pain medication to the shoulder. The catheter remains in the joint of the shoulder for several days.

              One of the most common complications that can trail shoulder surgeries is Postarthroscopic Glenohumeral Chondrolysis. In 2006, documentation was presented at a gathering of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons proving that using intra-articular pain pumps could cause this life altering and extremely painful condition. The symptoms of PAGCYL consist of shoulder stiffness, pain in the shoulder when it is moving and when it is resting, dwindled range of motion, grinding and popping when the shoulder in motion, and weakening of the joint. PAGCYL is usually determined with an x-ray showing the narrowing of the joint space. Further surgery is the only treatment for this condition still many patients never reclaim full use of the shoulder joint.

              Although the pump was approved by the FDA for use in the shoulder tissue, it was not ever approved for direct joint injection. Because another manufacture was also seeking approval for its version of the device the FDA admitted it approved the wrong suggestion and didn’t notice for five months. It was also noted that none of the manufactures performed safety test according to the lawsuit. This information was also kept from the orthopedic surgeons.