Boston hip lawyer

December 21, 2016

New 3D Printing Technology May Improve Hip Implants

According to 3DPrint.com, a trade publication for the 3D printing industry, a new technology may improve the patient experience for those who undergo a total hip replacement surgery. This could be good news for many patients, since a total hip replacement procedure in now the second most common elective surgical procedure performed in the United States at around 300,000 procedures performed each year.

This new technology is being developed at McGill University, where researchers are using a 3D printer to create a new type of hip replacement medical device. This new device is designed make the body act as if the hip implant was part of the natural bone, so as not to trigger any type of rejection process. This will also reduce the need for any antirejection drugs. Continue reading

August 4, 2016

Stem Cell Research Being Used in Place of Total Hip Replacement

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

In the past couple months, many people have heard about stem cell treatments being used to try to avoid major joint surgery. Much of these news came from the baseball world, where the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (LAA) allowed doctors to perform a stem cell treatment instead of “Tommy John” surgery on two pitchers.

In the case of these baseball players, Tommy John surgery (named after the first pitcher to get the procedure, more formally known as an ulna collateral ligament or UCL procedure) can save a career, but it takes over a year for the pitcher to return to the game in most cases. The new procedure uses stem cells from bone marrow (not embryonic stem cells), and they may be able to regrow the damaged tissue instead of needing a replacement. Unfortunately, for one of the two pitchers, it did not work, so they had to do the Tommy John procedure after all. Continue reading

July 23, 2016

Massive Recall on Frozen Appetizers over E. coli Fears

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

According to a recent news feature from Food Safety News, over 22 tons of frozen appetizers (marketed as Kabob’s Hors d’oeuvres) have been recalled to due a recent outbreak of E. coli bacterial illness. There are many different products this company manufactures that are sold to restaurants and big box retailers and discount warehouses. There are dozens of different varieties of recalled products, including mini pizzas, spring rolls, pot stickers, and many other similar frozen appetizers that are not shipped ready to eat, as they do require cooking.

The problem did not come from the factory where the frozen food products were manufactured, but rather it was from the flour manufactured by General Mills, Inc. and shipped to this company for use in their food products. As soon as the flour company notified them of the potential for E. coli contamination, the company voluntarily recalled any product that used that flour to avoid any injury. Continue reading

April 8, 2016

Hip Replacement Surgery for Younger Americans

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

When we think of hip replacement surgery we are typically think of senior citizens. For the most part, that is who is getting hip replacement surgery. However, as discussed in a recent article from Fox News, younger are people are getting a total hip replacement much more often than they have been in the past.

One patient interviewed as part of this article was man in his 40s who had been experienced tremendous pain in his hip. He had always lived what we would consider an active lifestyle and would run and engage in sporting activities on a regular basis. When he went to his doctor to see what was wrong was him, his doctor apparently explained that he is excellent health for the most part, yet he has the hips of man 30 years older that he actually is. Continue reading

February 10, 2016

Hip Replacement Surgery as Treatment for Arthritis

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

A recent news feature form WBAL TV looks at a total hip replacement procedure as a treatment for arthritis. The article focuses on a common belief held by prospective patients that having hip pain is just a normal sign of getting older and something you with which you have to live.

However, orthopedic surgeons are saying they are variety of procedures available these days, and you should not have to simply resolve yourself to living with the pain for the rest of your life. It should also be noted that many who are more active and like to run are experiencing hip pain and arthritis at a much earlier age than they were in years past, due to the increased activity. Continue reading

December 1, 2015

Jury Awards $11 Million to Defective Hip Implant Victim in Bellwether Trial

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

Jurors overseeing the bellwether case involving Wright Medical’s Conserve Plus metal-on-metal hip implant in a federal case in Georgia have decided in favor of plaintiff for $11 million. That award, granted to a retired ski instructor, allows for $1 million in compensatory damages and $10 million in punitive damages.

The former is intended to compensate the victims for actual losses, while the latter is supposed to punish defendant for an egregious violation.

This was an important decision because it was the first trial in a multi-district litigation pending before the Atlanta-based court. There are 440 other cases similar to this one pending before U.S. District Judge Bill Duffey. In addition to those, there are hundreds more pending against the same defendant in a state court in California. Continue reading