A report just issued by the FDA and discussed in the Wall Street Journal revealed that the number of medical device recalls had doubled in a decade, up from 604 in 2003 to 1,190 in 2012. Especially troubling was the even steeper rise in the number of Class I recalls. Our Houston medical device injury lawyers note that Class I recalls are the most serious, reserved for medical devices that could cause serious bodily injury or death. These rose from 7 in 2003 to 57 in 2012, an eight-fold increase.
But we note that generally speaking, most medical devices are reasonably safe. They hold the potential to save lives where that was not possible before. Everything from blood sugar monitors to cardiac pacemakers to bone implants falls into the category of medical devices. And many of the serious recalls are concentrated within certain narrow categories of products: for instance transvaginal mesh implants and the metal on metal hip replacements that have caused so many people such pain and misery.
The decade from 2003 to 2012 that saw a 97% increase in medical technology recalls also saw the industry itself more than double in size. From 2001 to 2010, U.S. medical device expenditures increased from $73.7 billion to $156.3 billion, a 112% growth rate. So the industry appears to be growing faster than the rate of recalls generated by it. (Galen Moore, FierceMedicalDevices, 3/21/14) To be fair, our Houston medical device injury lawyers point out that if these trends remain true, then the overall safety rate of medical technology is improving.
But regardless of actual numbers and percentages, the fact remains that defective medical devices and inadequately tested medical implants continue to make it into the U.S. market, where they may injure hundreds or thousands of people before finally being recalled. Among other harmful medical devices, the Houston medical device injury lawyers at Denena Points, PC have written about the pain, fear, and loss caused by defective cardiac leads, the mesh implant that was inadequately tested before being ineffectively used to treat pelvic organ prolapse, the Infuse bone graft that was used for off-label repairs to the spine, and the failed joint replacements that resulted in the need for additional surgeries as well as metallosis in some patients.
Our Board Certified attorneys have more than 12 years of experience helping injured victims and their families make fair financial recoveries in complex injury cases related to defective products. Currently, we have multiple clients injured by the transvaginal mesh implant for whom we’re building strong cases. We could help you too.
Contact us today to schedule your free, initial legal consultation. You have no obligation to hire an attorney. Reach the Houston medical device injury lawyers at Denena Points, PC at 713-807-9500 or anytime through our online contact form. Put our experience to work for your family.