Category Archives: Defective Products

As Number of Robots and Surgeries Increase in American Hospitals, So Do Problems

Posted on May 13, 2013 by McGowan, Hood & Felder, LLC

The Associated Press reported that nearly 1,400 hospitals in the United States have at least one da Vinci system, a three- or four-armed robot that surgeons operate with hand controls at a computer system located several feet away from a patient. Each da Vinci system costs about $1.45 million in addition to $100,000 or more a year in service agreements, and it is used for operations that include removing prostates, gallbladders and wombs, repairing heart valves, shrinking stomachs and transplanting organs, according to the AP. However, Bloomberg News reported that Sunnyvale, California-based Intuitive Surgical Inc., the company whose robots were used in 367,000 operations last year, is in the middle of the first trial of at least 26 lawsuits from people alleging injuries tied to its da Vinci system. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is looking into an increase in reported problems during robotic surgeries, including at least…
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Man Awarded $8.3 Million in Hip Implant Injury Lawsuit

Posted on March 22, 2013 by McGowan, Hood & Felder, LLC

A Los Angeles jury awarded $8.3 million in damages to a man for a defective Johnson & Johnson metal-on-metal hip implant he had implanted in 2007. Bloomberg reports that Loren “Bill” Kransky, a retired prison guard from Montana, was awarded the damages after finding that the design of the ASR XL hip caused his injuries. In 2010, Johnson & Johnson recalled 93,000 of the implants, saying 12 percent of them failed within five years of an implant. Currently, there are more than 10,750 lawsuits pending across the country because of alleged injuries caused by the devices. Kransky’s verdict will set a “starting price” for other plaintiffs in settlement discussions, said Erik Gordon, a University of Michigan business professor. Hip Implant Dangers Hip implants have defective designs that cause high rates of failure, and many patients end up requiring replacement surgeries. In his lawsuit, Kransky claimed he was in constant pain,…
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Woman Receives $3.35 Million Transvaginal Mesh Award

Posted on March 13, 2013 by McGowan, Hood & Felder, LLC

Two weeks ago, a jury awarded a South Dakota woman $3.35 million after Johnson & Johnson failed to warn her of the potential dangers associated with a transvaginal mesh implant. According to the New York Times, it was the first verdict among 1,800 transvaginal mesh cases pending in New Jersey against Ethicon and Johnson & Johnson, and it could affect thousands of other lawsuits. According to the lawsuit, Linda Gross, 47, of Watertown, South Dakota, received a Gynecare Prolift transvaginal mesh implant in 2006 for pelvic prolapse. Gross claimed the implant began to erode inside of her, causing scar tissue, inflammation and “neurologic compromise.” Gross claimed she needed 18 operations to repair the damage caused by the implant. Transvaginal Mesh Side Effects Transvaginal mesh implants have been linked to: Puncturing of the uterus, colon, bladder, and other organs and tissues Chronic pain Continued pelvic organ prolapse and urinary incontinence We…
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