Infuse® Bone Graft and Nerve Damage
Infuse® Bone Grafts, made by Medtronic, Inc., have caused debilitating nerve damage in many patients. The bone grafts have been used in both FDA-approved spinal surgeries and in non-FDA-approved (or "off-label") surgeries. Nerve damage pain has been the first sign of serious trouble for some patients who received an Infuse® Bone Graft.
If you or someone you love has suffered nerve damage following surgery in which an Infuse® Bone Graft was used, you may be entitled to compensation. Even if you are unsure of what device was used, we may be able to help you. To learn more, please schedule a free consultation today.
How Do You Get Nerve Damage?
The Infuse® Bone Graft is a synthetic, liquid bone graft that stimulates bone growth. Its use has apparently over-stimulated bone growth in some patients; the uncontrolled bone growth may damage nerves near the graft. The bone growth can also be "ectopic" or occurring in the wrong place. Spinal nerves and other nerves are vulnerable, and uncontrolled bone growth or bone growing in the wrong place can compress nerves enough to damage them severely — even permanently and irreparably.
Symptoms of Nerve Damage
The reports of nerve damage pain linked to Infuse® Bone Graft have been very troubling. Symptoms include:
- chronic, radiating pain in the arms and/or legs
- neuritis (inflamed nerves, causing pain and loss of function)
- radiculopathy (numbness, weakness, difficulty controlling specific muscles)
- radiculitis (pain that radiates along nerve paths, caused by inflammation of spinal nerve roots)
In some Infuse® Bone Graft cases, the nerve damage symptoms appeared within days of the surgery; in other cases the nerve damage symptoms took weeks or months to manifest.
Injuries and Neck Surgery
Nerve damage is of particular concern after neck surgery, since the spinal nerves are crucial to the body's function. The Infuse® Bone Graft has been used in off-label neck surgeries. Among the injuries that have been reported by patients who were surgically implanted with the Infuse® Bone Graft in off-label surgeries such as cervical spine and neck surgery, are:
- nerve damage
- respiratory distress
- difficulty breathing and swallowing
- compression of the airway
Contact an Infuse® Bone Graft Attorney
If you've undergone surgery for degenerative disc disease or another surgery that may have used an Infuse® Bone Graft, it's in your best interest to learn more about nerve damage and related injuries. To learn more, schedule a free consultation with an experienced Infuse® Bone Graft attorney today.
