Smith & Nephew Genesis II Knee Lawsuit Filed Over Design Defects

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A product liability lawsuit has been filed by a Florida woman over problems with the Smith & Nephew Genesis II knee replacement implant. 

Rosemarie Laverdure filed the complaint against Smith & Nephew on February 7, in Sarasota County 12th Judicial Circuit Court, alleging that design defects caused her knee replacement to fail only 7 years after it was implanted.

According to allegations raised in the Smith & Nephew knee lawsuit, the implant should have promoted bony ingrowth that cemented the device in place, but failed to do so.

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Laverdure received the Smith & Nephew Genesis II knee replacement in 2002, but was forced to undergo revision surgery in 2011 after developing problems. Even after the surgery, she alleges that she has been left with permanent injuries and impairment, continuing pain, swelling, instability, disability and disfigurement. The defective implant has left Laverdure with a permanent limp and she requires pain medications because of her knee, the lawsuit alleges.

According to the lawsuit, an orthopedic surgeon looked at Laverdure’s knee in January 2010 when she began complaining of pain and swelling. The doctor determined that there was no bony ingrowth between the Smith & Nephew Genesis II Macrotextured femoral component of the knee implant and Laverdure’s bone. A knee specialist verified those findings in February 2011 and performed revision surgery on the knee implant.

The failure of bony ingrowth, after eight years, meant that the implant never cemented itself properly to her bones, causing it to fail, the lawsuit claims.

The complaint alleges that Smith & Nephew knew or should have known that the implant could become loose and fail, but that the drug maker withheld that information from patients and doctors.

Laverdure accuses Smith & Nephew of strict liability and negligence. She is seeking compensatory damages for past and future physical pain and mental anguish, impairment, disfigurement, past and future medical expenses, loss of earnings and earning capacity.

In recent years, a number of Smith & Nephew recalls have been issued for different components used in the company’s knee replacement systems.

Nearly 40,000 Journey Uni Tibial Baseplates were recalled in early 2010, due to a number of reported failures, which suggested that the component may have a tendency to fracture or break. This could result in severe pain and instability, often resulting in the need for surgery to revise the Smith & Nephew knee replacement or replace the base plate.

In February 2011, a study was presented to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons that found that 16% of Smith & Nephew Journey-Deuce knee implants began to fail within 21 months and 39% of recipients reported poor results after receiving the implant.

A number of other individuals have filed a similar lawsuit over Smith & Nephew knee problems after experiencing difficulties with one of the company’s systems.

Tags: Knee Replacement, Product Liability, Smith & Nephew

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25 Comments

PATRICIA
Had my trk done in Sept 2015, 9.5 yrs later still pain can’t knee in church, walking forget it all around top of knee area hurts and it gets warm. One area I touch is always in pain. Was told by surgeon 1) x-rays are fine 2) it’s my weight. I know of other people who are much heavier than me no problems.
janine
new 2016, failed massive metallosis, 2017-8, Revision 4/2/2019. Date of knowledge of pure Zirconium within Jan 2022 after blood test made for me. 62.1nmol/L positive after 3 years of no knowledge of!!! Can’t raise smith and nephew caring at all. yet fda fines 11 million re paying orth consultants on file and 22 million fine re making a knee in Malaysia and selling as USA made!! Not an honest company. I am facing a rotating knee now and another knee in left re all the pressure and Pure Zirconium in my soft tissue forever as it cannot be cut out!. Aftercare and compensation please legals………It’s hard to go on husband carer has Parkinsons now.
Cynthia
My knee replacement a Smith and Nephew Genesis 2 surgery was on April 5 , 2021…I’ve had so much pain , swelling , grinding and clicking since . I’ve had pieces of bone ? Or plastic? Come to the surface and have picked them out of my skin. My skin is numb on surface from about 3 to 4 inches above and below my knee . First or second visit back to my surgeon I complained about the clicking and grinding , he told me it was scar tissue and went into an elaborate horror story about what could happen to me if he had to go back in my leg. I walked and bent my leg and that’s all he was concerned about . My therapy became so excruciating that I quit going , the pain was only getting worse . Pain meds were stopped because surgeon didn’t want to get in trouble with the law . Recently got a letter from the surgery office stating that my surgeon is no longer with them or associated with them . I’m now Scared to death to even think about revision . I’m depressed thinking about what the Future holds for me being in a wheelchair chair. There’s so much I want left to enjoy in life …
Jose
I had a total right knee replacement in 2011, my knee was curved into my left leg, they used the same system Smith and Nephew and my knee was straight from then until 2016 and my knee started curving again toward my left leg again and painful. I’m scheduled for a revision in January 2023. I’m seeking An Attorney to review my case.
Shelly
I have had my left knee done twice and still not any better.
olga
I have very similar issues as indicated by other comments.
Keith
I had both knees replaced in 2007 and they are frozen. This has caused me to fall and cause more injuries to me. I just found out the type of knee was tha Genisis II. If there is any body that can help me get answers I have the modle number s and the searial numbers of my knees. I want to see if they are on the recall list.
Lisa
I have the same unit since 2014. I’m in pain 24/7.
Jan
Law companies please in UK to challenge dislocation – very rare – post 2016 cemented Contact via email Serious help only please as devastated Thank you
GRACE
My mother had the genesis 2 implanted in her left knee she is in constant pain and was told the implant had loosened and would need a revision now she is a below the knee ampute.
Judy
i had surgery on Dec 15th 2015 . woke up stood up felt great! went back to bed swelling and pain ever since .PT and exercise never helped . I traded one pain for another . still swollen and painful.
Gary
i had both knees replaced at the same time in December 2009,the implants were Smith Nephew Genisis 2.The pain never quite went away,I went back to the surgeon and he did exrays and said they look ok,however he would never physically examine them.I have a new doctor as of 10/2016,his examination revealed that the knees do click and swell and the plates are loose,got a good doctor this time and now need a great attorney,oh did I mention that wheni went in in my first visit in 2009.the head trauma doctor told me that both kips and both knees were bone on bone and reccomeded to my surgeon to replace the right hip fiirst,yet me doctor said knees.
Linda
Knee coming loose
BETTY
HAVEING THE SAME PROBLEMS.CAN WE FILE A LAW SUIT. AND WHO AND DO WE DO IT.CONNIE
Claudia
I am happy with my knee replacements. I had both done in 2006. My quality of life has greatly improved. I try to always be careful of my knees. Only now am I having a problem. I never expected them to last more than 10 years given my weight. I feel bad for those who have problems. Perhaps your quality of life had not deteriorated like mine had pre replacement. I suffered for 10 years before I could be approved for replacement. I always expected to have pain and limitations. But these replacements have been excellent.
Jeff
See Mikey reply of April 2014
Mary
TKR 6/2011. Cannot flex knee past 45 degrees and limited extension. S&N Genesis II Was used. 5’4 female. Size 4 left Cruciate retaining Legion. Size 3-4 9mm Legion CR XLPE high flex ion articulate insert . Wondering if wrong size was put in restricting flex and extension. Doc said he put in the smallest they had. Mmmmmmm
Patricia
Surgery in February 2014. Things have been much worse. NO ANSWERS from the surgeon who did the TKR. I noticed he is using a new system now. I have constant pain, much worse than before the surgery, scar tissue, physical therapy that couldn’t be completed due to the excruciating pain from what felt like a “hinge” that wasn’t properly lined up correctly. All complaints ignored by the surgeon. Now I have a new surgeon and a new chance.
Connie
On June 29, 2014 I had a total knee replacement, Smith & Nephew GenII. My knee had a slight clicking sound in the beginning; now the knee clicks more often. And, my knee is painful, is swollen, feels stiff, and there is pain when I place weight on the leg. Has anyone else had a problem or filed a lawsuit this year?
mikey
My ex had GenesisII replacement 5 yrs ago. Constant pain limited mobilith swelling discoloration and we now see The Dream Team” in Scottsdale and still not getting anywhere. He also got valley fever in the prosthetic going down that leg. It ld only have come from the orignal surgical-dirty nasty hospital- so it is maki.g it more difficul for treatment
Kathleen
I had the Genesis II knee replacement in June and August 2010 and experienced constant pain and the right knee was so out of alignment I was walking on the side of my foot. The right knee also would make a clicking sound when I walked or bend down. Eventually, I had to have both knee replacements redone in July and September of 2012. I am so disappointed in the first replacement because now some of the pain has subsided but my right foot is turned where I walk on the side of my foot.
Kathy
I had a Genesis II total knee replacement done in 2010. I have had continuous pain in my knee since the replacement. I went through the required physical therapy which did not help. I cannot properly bend the knee and whenever I walk my left foot “slaps” the ground which never did before the knee replacement. The pain is awful and I would have the replacement done if I had known all of the “after” effects of the implant.
Diane
Has anyone had severe scar tissue from this knee replacement where you are more disabled after putting this in than before. You can no longer bend the knee at all and in severe pain all the time. Dr. states it is not the knee replacement or his surgery which was the 4th of that day. My husband had this done in 2004 and its been a nightmare ever since. Has changed his life dramatically.
Kathy
I am a poor person who had total knee replacement with the Genesis II. This was 2002. I have had AWFUL pain ever since. I have been to a few ortho docs and they all say nothing’s wrong. I know better. No one will help me. The pain is unbelievable. It is at times debillitating. It wants to snap backwards at times. I have Medicaid and the PT told me in 2002 when I had physical therapy that they were authorized to give medicaid patients 15 minutes of therapy, medicare patients 30 minutes and private insurance an hour. My life is in the toilet. No pain meds. No help.
Dolores
I also had a Smith-Nephew Genesis 2 total knee replacement(in 2005) I had more pain after the surgery than before. I went back to the surgeon after my physical therapy sessions had ended and I was still experiencing severe pain that caused me to fall often. He told me there was “nothing wrong with the prosethis” and that if I would give it a little more time it would be allright. I continued to fall on the average of two to three times a week until last July 26(2012) when my knee collapsed on me causing me to fall down the stairs and I broke my femur just above the implant.The leg has healed, but the knee continues to give me a lot of severe pain and if I don’t use crutches I would be falling often. I have a walker, but because of arthritis in my wrists I can’t depend on the walker. My wrists cannot support me when the knee gives out. I am going to see the surgeon again on Monday Feb. 4 to see what if anything can be done to correct the problem.So I will know soon if he can make some kind of determination about it.

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