SHREVEPORT – An allegedly defective artificial hip that led to a second hip replacement and, ultimately, renal failure, has led a Shreveport woman to file a complaint against Zimmer Biomet Inc., the company that makes the prosthetic.
Shreveport attorney Steven Soileau of Thomas, Soileau, Jackson, Baker & Cole LLP, on behalf of plaintiff Kris Clements,also alleges the predecessor company, Biomet Orthopedic, was aware of the alleged defects when Zimmer purchased the firm.
According to court documents, Clements underwent hip replacement surgery in 2006 and after it allegedly failed she went through a second procedure the following year.
Her attorney in court documents alleges the prosthetic, dubbed the Magnum, is a metal on metal device that "poses unreasonable risks of metal debris, metal iron contamination, cobalt/chromium contamination, and site-specific cancers, as well as other health risks."
Soileau also cited the reportedly high failure rates with such devices.
It is alleged contamination of cobalt/chromium debris led to Clements' diagnosis of renal failure in May.