Pain Pumps Linked to Knee Cartilage Damage
By Jim Greene
Published on March 10, 2010
Attorneys across the country have been kept busy for some time with personal injury lawsuits concerning damage to shoulder joints blamed on the use of post-surgical pain medication pumps. Similar complaints are now surfacing from patients using pain pumps after knee surgery.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) originally approved the use of pain pumps for recovery from abdominal surgery, such as a hysterectomy. A catheter is implanted at the surgical site, with a tube connected to the pump for delivery of a steady stream of pain killers for the first few days after surgery. The treatment has also been used on the muscle tissue surrounding shoulder and knee surgeries.
Pump Makers Accused of Promoting Unapproved Use
According to reports received by the FDA, problems arose when pain pump manufactures allegedly encouraged the use of the systems directly on shoulder joints, something for which they had not been approved. The result, according to lawsuits filed against makers of pain pumps and the pain killers they deliver, was chondrolysis, the erosion of the cartilage that provides a cushion between the bones of shoulder, knee, and other joints.
The FDA acknowledged that single injections of pain killers into joints after surgery have been used successfully for years, but said there was no research into the effect on joint cartilage of a steady stream of medication.
Loss of Cartilage Results in Extreme Pain
Without protective cartilage, the bones of the joints grind against each other, causing extreme pain. Cases reported to the FDA include some in which joint replacement surgery was required.
While all joints need cartilage, the knee is particularly vulnerable, since it bears so much weight. Damage to one knee can make walking extremely difficult; damage to both can result in confinement to a wheelchair.
If you or someone you know has suffered from chondrolysis after using a pain pump as part of your recovery from knee or shoulder surgery, contact an experienced personal injury attorney. You may be eligible for financial compensation for medical bills, loss of income, and pain and suffering.
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