Shoulder Pain Pump Attorneys

Pennsylvania - New Jersey - New York - Nationwide

A post-operative medication pump may be the reason that some people who undergo arthroscopic shoulder surgery experience a bad result – one that can include excruciating pain, the necessity of a second surgery and, in some cases, debilitation.

The so-called “pain pumps,” medical devices that strap to the shoulder and deliver anesthetics through a catheter directly to the shoulder, may cause damage to cartilage in the shoulder joint, a condition known as post-arthroscopic glenohumeral chondrolysis, or PAGCL.

This chondrolysis, a complete or near-complete disintegration of cartilage in the joint, can result in irreversible damage and permanent loss of the use of one’s shoulder. The condition is disabling and very painful.

If you or a loved one suffered serious injury as a possible result of using a shoulder surgery pain pump, you may want to contact a pain pump attorney.

The possible problem with the pain pumps was noted in the results of a study presented in 2006 at a meeting of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons in which an investigative group reviewed the charts of 152 patients who underwent 177 arthroscopic shoulder surgeries.

Twelve of the shoulders (in 10 patients) developed PAGCL. All those who suffered the injury had been treated after surgery with a pain pump delivering doses of anesthetics and epinephrine. Ten of the 12 procedures required second surgeries.

Some patients injured by the use of the pain pumps must undergo complete shoulder joint replacement operations. Some may never regain use of their shoulders.

Pain pumps are manufactured by a number of companies and under various product names. Among them are I-Flow Corp., which makes the On-Q PainBuster, the Soaker Catheter and the C-bloc Continuous Nerve Block System; DJO Inc., which produces the DonJoy Pain Control Device; and Stryker Corp., maker of the Stryker Pain Pump.

Kline & Specter, P.C., is a Philadelphia-based law firm with some 30 attorneys, several of whom are also doctors. The firm is a leader in pharmaceutical and medical device litigation in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and nationwide. Contact a pain pump lawyer today.

On-Q PainBuster - Soaker Catheter - C-bloc Continuous Nerve Block System - DonJoy Pain Control Device - Stryker Pain Pump