New Jersey Defective Medical Device Attorney

Medical Device Variations

In the event of life-threatening illnesses and injuries, physicians sometimes employ medical devices in order to provide the patient with a long-term solution to their health problems. Many of these devices are implanted directly into the body of the patient while others can be accessed externally. Medical devices are used for a wide variety of diseases and injuries – some of the most popular devices include:

• Stents – Tubes that are inserted into arteries are known as stents. These tubes are often coated with various medications and they assist the patient by preventing blockages in the circulatory system. Stents are often employed by both trauma surgeons and medical specialists.
• Defibrillators – One of the most well-known medical devices, defibrillators produce small electric shocks that regulate the heart’s rhythm. Defibrillators are implanted directly into a patient’s heart as a solution to serious heart conditions.
• Contraceptive Devices – There are many contraceptive devices on the market, but intrauterine devices are one of the most common. They prevent pregnancy and are usually inserted directly into the patient by a medical professional.
• Implants – This is a synthetic device that attempts to restore normal functioning to the body. There are many different types of implants and they are often used to replace body parts such as hips, shoulders or legs.

There are many different types of medical devices, some more complex than others, but they are all used to make life easier for patients. These devices are implanted by physicians all over the country.

Injury Due to Defective Medical Devices

The majority of medical devices greatly enhance the quality of life for many patients, but they can also cause serious harm if they are improperly manufactured or designed. In many cases, an appropriate amount of testing may not have been performed on the device in order to determine whether or not it was safe to use.

Danger can also stem from a manufacturer overestimating the functionality or safety of the device itself, or failing to properly convey the risks of the device to physicians. In 2011, a study performed by the British organization, the National Joint Registry, found that 11.4 percent of the 68,907 hip replacement surgeries were done to replace a hip implant.

Another prominent medical device that has recently come under fire is transvaginal mesh. The mesh was originally implanted to provide women with relief from urinary incontinence and pelvic issues. In January of 2016, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a release stating that it is now requiring manufacturers to undergo a more rigorous process to prove that their product is safe to use. The FDA stated that it recognized the harm that the mesh poses to women and that it has now reclassified mesh as a high-risk device, or class III.