failed spinal fusion lawsuit

Smokers and patients who do not follow the guidelines for movement restriction during the post-operative period are at the greatest risk of failed fusion. Spinal Fusion Lawsuit - The Schmidt Firm, PLLC | A National Law Firm 2603 Augusta Suite 1300 For both the cervical and lumbar spine, human bone morphogenetic protein (rhBMP-2) has been tried with mixed results. Spinal fusion is commonly used to treat spinal injuries and diseases like: Complications can arise in any surgery. The patient was not a good candidate for the surgery in the first place. Level 1 treatment for back injuries usually involves some combination of anti-inflammatory pain medication (e.g., If pain meds and physical therapy are not effective at eliminating chronic pain from a back injury, the next level of treatment involves. Does that make these statistics useless? It can be discovered in the patient who doesnt have any real symptoms when dynamic imaging studies are done. When the failure is on the part of the manufacturer (for example, a medical device company that offers a troublesome product), this is called products liability or defective products. Is Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery Right for You? When spinal fusion surgery fails as a result of medical malpractice, your doctor may be responsible. Below are stories of spinal fusion back surgery cases and the compensation payouts for their personal injury claims. failed spinal fusion lawsuit. Really top notch attorney, and law firm. Fusion on the spine bones also prevents stretching and pinching of adjacent ligaments and nerves. But for the patient with painful symptoms, if no graft was used in the first procedure, the surgeon may choose to take bone from a donor bank or from the patient and place it around the fusion site. They understand the routine problems that can arise and will be able to determine if an issue exists and how to treat it. There are two reasons for this. A 51-year-old passenger was T-boned. This surgery is necessary when the spine is not capable of supporting normal loads and stresses due to injury or disease. A man was rear-ended by a truck. The most important course of action if you think your spinal fusion surgery has failed is to contact your medical professional immediately. Unfortunately, she was injured during the surgery. Its application spread to include other conditions like degenerative disc disease and scoliosis because doctors noticed patients back pain decreased after these procedures. The most common lawsuits involved failed devices involved the following legal reasons for liability: Surgical implant defect was a result of poor design, marketing, or manufacturing Surgeons tried many methods, such as lateral pressure on body casts, wrapping wires around the spinal column for stability (some doctors used celluloid bars, steel or silk wiring). He suffered a traumatic brain injury, a right shoulder tear, rotator cuff injuries, left knee injuries, and cervical and lumbar injuries. Therefore, spinal hardware (e.g. But then theres the risk of donor site morbidity (problems) as described. 2018. Prior to this approval, titanium cages were implanted; after that, Infuse was approved for use with certain polyetheretherketone (PEEK) cages. Surgeon preferences and experience can also make a difference in choosing type of revision surgery performed. If you've had some complications after a spinal fusion procedure, you may be wondering if your injuries are the result of medical malpractice. An inspirational, peaceful, listening experience. This doesnt mean youll lose the case but it may mean you have a harder fight to battle. Settlement Amounts for Spinal Fusion + Stenosis Lawsuits in Texas We strongly recommend that, if you are in need of legal advice, you should consult in person with an attorney who is fully aware of your needs. A jury awarded $1,135,346. Lawsuits suggest that hundreds of individuals may have undergone spinal fusion surgery in recent years where fraudulent or counterfeit parts could have been implanted in their bodies,. Negligently performing the procedure and/or failing to recognize a complication. accelerated wear and tear on remaining vertebrae and possible chronic pain. Your spine is weak because of infection (or tumors). failed spinal fusion lawsuit - homelessnest.org If you or a family member have been the victim of a failed spinal cord surgery including a defective neurostimulation implant, please feel free to submit an inquiry or send an e-mail to Texas failed back surgery lawyer and defective implantable neurostimulation lawyer Jason Coomer. A settlement for $1,250,000 was reached before trial. There are 7 cervical, 12 thoracic, and 5 lumbar vertebrae in the spine. They should tell you about potential spinal fusion complications. Are you a patient who underwent a spinal fusion surgery that failed? If you have not met with an attorney, consider looking through the Enjuris directory for someone in your state who can help. Surgical intervention on scoliosis patients would not occur again until the 20th century. A spinal fusion can result in a lawsuit for a slew of reasons. There hasnt been much published yet on results of this technique. She injured her head, neck, and back. Failed Spinal Fusion Surgery | Spine-health During spinal fusion surgery, intervertebral discs made of cartilage are removed and metal devices are implanted to stabilize the spine. A doctor is negligent during the operation. If you think that you have a case based on the circumstances discussed in this article. Whenever a back injury requires spinal fusion surgery, it can easily double or triple the potential value of the case. Surgery is usually necessary when external fixation (braces or physical therapy, for example) are not enough to maintain alignment of the spine. Sadly, Patricia became paralyzed. There can be other causes of failed spinal fusion such as the hardware coming loose or infection and poor wound healing, but pseudarthrosis accounts for almost one-fourth of all revision fusion surgeries. The risk increases when more than one vertebrae level is fused. In recent years, companies have developed bio-engineered bone growth proteins that may also be used to help encourage fusion. Kornitzer's spinal fusion malpractice lawsuit includes allegations of negligence against his doctor and the New Jersey Spine Institute, claiming that they failed to follow the appropriate. Pain or a feeling of numbness starting from the low back and spreading down the legs. She suffered rib fractures and C5-6 and C6-7 disc protrusions with stenosis, radiculopathy, and paresthesia. The common reasons for undergoing a spinal fusion range from a broken vertebrae or removal of a herniated disk to correcting the spinal deformities scoliosis and kyphosis. be considered sooner. In spinal fusion surgery, two or more vertebrae bones in the spine are essentially welded or "fused" together into a single bone. An example of this type of fusion failure occurs when there is not enough support to hold the spine, while the spine is fusing. Malpractice Claims for Spinal Fusion Complications & Errors But if something about your care seems questionable, seek the help of an experienced legal professional. The basis for modern spinal fusions can be traced back to the Greeks in the 5th century BCE! At only 23 years old, Talia had an extremely bright future ahead of her. We support students, families, caregivers and communities with resources, personal stories and a national directory of injury lawyers. She alleged that the at-fault drivers negligence caused permanent injuries. Spinal fusion is a surgery that permanently joins bones in the spine ("vertebrae"). Spinal fusion is a treatment for spinal injuries, including acute trauma, herniated discs, bone fractures, and more. Rods, screws or metal plates may also be implanted to stabilize the area. A jury awarded the man $4,375,018. And to add insult to injury, it wasnt properly diagnosed in time to correct what had happened. Aching at a new location, different from the surgery site. If you look online, you will see some willing to venture estimates for the average settlement for workers compensation claims involving spinal fusion surgery. Implant failure following spine surgery should be very uncommon in normal sized individuals with a one level fusion. Failed Discectomy, Laminectomy & Spine Fusion Surgery Lawyer Remember that all these statistics are flawed. Those changes interfere in judging whether or not the fusion is completed. Bone grafts and artificial hardware such as rods and screws are used to fuse and stabilize the spine. Spinal fusion surgery is a major surgical procedure requiring general anesthesia and takes several hours to complete. The three most common causes of failed spinal fusion surgery are medical malpractice, defective implant devices, and natural causes. The SIJ syndrome might have been misdiagnosed before the fusion. As the spine moves, the metal hardware that is inside might give in and break. Start here to find personal injury lawyers near you. Any use of material contained in this web site is at the user's sole risk, and we expressly disclaim any liability for the use thereof. overcome hurdles synonym LIVE There are many opportunities for these situations to arise, as low back pain is the leading cause of disability globally, and up to 80% of the population will experience back pain sometime in their life. Most of the motion in the spine is at the L4-L5 level, and to a lesser extent at L3-L4. Whenever a plaintiffs injuries require surgery, their tort case is going to have a higher potential settlement value. I can speak for personal injury cases in Florida. These cases are generally due to injury or disease. You have a broken vertebra from a severe injury that needs repair. They will be more likely to discredit any alleged pain & suffering and devalue the claim. Ultimately, a jury must decide that question after hearing conflicting testimony from expert medical witnesses for both sides of the case. The result? The medical expenses associated with spinal fusion surgery are going to be much higher than the expenses associated with Level 1 treatment. Spinal injury settlements can help you recover lost income, medical expenses and more. Some states only offer one year for personal injury lawsuits, so do this as soon as you know theres a problem. If so, dont hesitate to contact our office. The woman sustained cognitive loss and chronic migraines. If your doctor failed to inform you of the risks or complications, you will need to prove that a reasonable patient would have wanted to be informed and a reasonable doctor would have offered the information. When the shiny newness of the surgery faded, patients began reporting poor recoveries. Future lost income reduced to present value, Loss of capacity for the enjoyment of life, condition occurred with regularity and was therefore foreseeable, length of time that Target should have known it was there, metal rack that was holding the rug and the rug itself allegedly came loose and fell on the shoppers, things that can affect how much your injury case is worth, customer has 4 years to sue Home Depot if injured inside the store, shoulder surgery on a client of mine whose case I settled for $210,000, emotional well-being had been affected by theaccident, quality of her relationship with her husband had beenaffected by her accident related injuries, settled several injury cases with Travelers, injured persons age often affects the value of a case, uninsured/underinsured (UM/UIM) motorist coverage, National Car Rental also offers $100,000 in UM coverage, Avis website says that Additional Liability Insurance does, find out for FREEif we can represent you, Florida Motor Vehicle No-Fault Law, Personal Injury Protection (PIP), settled cases throughout the entire state of Florida. It is much less likely to happen if only the L5-S1 level is fused, as this segment typically does not have much motion and fusing this level does not change the mechanics in the spine all that much. If you feel your complications and pain after a spinal fusion may warrant a lawsuit, these resources will be helpful: Please fill out the form or call (800) 734-4134 now, SEO Advantage, Inc. SEOLegal Division,Lawyer Marketing Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, injury to blood vessels or nerves in and around the spine, pain at the site from which a bone graft is taken, and. The Cardiff Anterior Cervical Plate System, also known as the ACP System, is a metal plate that is screwed into a patients spine to stabilize the area after a spinal fusion surgery. You have chronic lower back pain that requires spinal fusion surgery. Doctors should clearly communicate the risks involved. However, there have been a number of successful medical malpractice cases stemming from spinal fusions that should not have been recommended in the first place. The woman underwent a cervical discectomy and fusion. There has been some question about the use of ultrasound and bone scans to help diagnose pseudarthrosis. Are you experiencing any of these symptoms? This includes failed spinal fusions, which often lead to lawsuits. If you didnt receive proper care and attention, you may have grounds to pursue a failed spinal fusion lawsuit. The bones, called vertebrae, are fused together to form one solid bone. There are many reasons spinal fusion surgeries fail. This degeneration is most likely to happen after a two-level fusion (e.g. The defense disputed the womans injury claims. This website, and all of its contents, is not intended, and does not create any attorney-client relationship between the viewer/reader and the attorneys at Schwaner Injury Law without the existence of a retained relationship. Spinal fusion surgery is only an effective treatment option when motion is the source of pain and the location of the pain in the back is known. There are advantages and disadvantages for each choice. Either way, you need to convince a jury that if the risk had been disclosed, a reasonable patient would have refused the procedure. This includes failed spinal fusions, which often lead to lawsuits. And heres a more specific example. Cervical Spine Surgery Lawyer & Implant Neurostimulator Lawyer Patients also claim that Medtronics used deceptive marketing to tout the wonders of their product and that its use actually has a very narrow application. In the past, doctors also implanted bone grafts that were harvested from cadavers or the patients hip bone. Spinal injury cases have a very high settlement value. The man could no longer work as a painter. Many lawsuits have been filed against manufacturers of these products, including Medtronic. Court of Appeals, 5th Dist. Some of the most common back injuries we see in personal injury cases include: The potential settlement value of back injuries in tort cases is highly dependent on the type and level of treatment that the plaintiff undergoes.