Shoulder Pain Pump Attorneys

Personal Injury Lawyers - Representing People Nationwide

Studies have recently linked shoulder pain pumps used after arthroscopic surgery to the development of a rare, degenerative shoulder condition called Post-Arthroscopic Glenohumeral Chondrolysis (PAGCL). Currently, there is no effective treatment for PAGCL. People suffering from the disorder usually experience permanent shoulder pain as a result.

What is Post-Arthroscopic Glenohumeral Chondrolysis?

PAGCL is a degenerative condition that causes the cartilage in your shoulder to deteriorate. The disorder usually affects the glenohumeral joint, which is at the end of the shoulder where the shoulder blade socket meets the ball of the arm bone.

PAGCL generally develops 3-12 months after shoulder surgery. As your cartilage deteriorates, you may exhibit the following symptoms:

Shoulder pain (both in motion and at rest)
Clicking, popping, or grinding of the shoulder
Shoulder stiffness
Decreased range of motion

Shoulder Pain Pump Problems

Recent studies have connected the use of intra-articular shoulder pain pumps to the development of PAGCL. These pain pumps deliver medication directly to the surgical region via a catheter that gets inserted into your shoulder joint. The pump is installed right after the surgical procedure and is removed once post-surgical pain has gone away.

Pain management pumps are frequently used for arthroscopic shoulder surgery patients. Many doctors had previously recommended their use because they offer an effective alternative to the use of narcotics for the control of post-surgical pain. They have been found to reduce the amount of breakthrough pain associated with the surgery and have also sped up the recovery time.

However, in light of new studies, researchers are advising doctors to avoid the use of shoulder pain pumps with their patients. The risk of developing PAGCL far outweighs the benefits provided by these devices. The use of pain pumps greatly increases your risk of irreversible cartilage damage, which may require shoulder replacement surgery, and will lead to life-long, chronic pain and a loss of shoulder mobility. Pain pumps delivering bupivacaine with epinephrine are particularly dangerous and should be avoided at all costs.

Shoulder Pain Pumps to Avoid

The majority of pain pumps linked to PAGCL are made by Stryker Co., DJO Inc., I-Flow Co., and BREG Inc. The most commonly used models are:

Stryker®
Stryker® PainPump 1®
Stryker ®PainPump 2®
PainPump® Blockaid®
I-Flow®
On-Q ®Painbuster®
Donjoy®
Donjoy ®Pain Control Device
Accufuser ®Plus Pain Pump

Shoulder Pain Pump Lawsuits

Currently, more than 75 lawsuits have been filed in state and federal courts across the country against the manufacturers and distributors of these shoulder pain pumps. Many more claims are likely to be filed in upcoming months. Many of these lawsuits allege that the pain pump manufacturers failed to adequately test the pumps and to warn doctors about the potential risks of using them in arthroscopic shoulder surgery patients. Personal injury attorneys are also claiming that these devices have been marketed for an “off label” use that has not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).