The Zimmer NexGen CR or cruciate retaining knee replacement device is a subgroup of Zimmer’s popular NexGen total knee replacement series, which includes the CR-Flex and LPS Flex. Individuals implanted with these components have experienced loosening, pain and device failure requiring revision surgery. These components were designed for people with healthy bones and intact cruciate ligaments and are recommended for individuals undergoing first-time knee replacements. The CR-Flex is unique in that it is not secured by surgical cement, but instead is supposed to attach to the patient’s thigh bone. Based on numbers provided by Zimmer, it is estimated that thousands of these devices were sold by 2010.

At a March 2010 conference of American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, a group of orthopedists presented data on 108 Zimmer NexGen Knee replacement patients from Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. The data shows that 9% of the patients had to undergo revision surgery within two years of the initial implantation of the Zimmer NexGen CR-Flex Knee. In addition, 36% to 39% of the patients reported pain and loosening of the implant indicating that the failure rate could reach as high as 39%. More…

Personal Injury Law Firm Streamlines Financial and Practice Management with New ProLaw XII

Elite, part of Thomson Reuters, announced that Faraci Lange LLP has selected ProLaw XII, the latest-generation of the leading One Office financial and practice management system. After an extensive evaluation of other solutions, the firm determined that ProLaw XII offered the best integration of accounting and case and document management in a single solution.

“We ultimately wanted to make it easier for our staff to do their jobs. ProLaw XII provides a central location to manage all case and matter related materials so that everyone has access to the most up-to-date information at any point in time. Plus the powerful reporting capabilities enable us to generate real-time reports that help management make better-informed decisions,” said Stephen G. Schwarz, managing partner of Faraci Lange. “ProLaw XII will help us continue to operate our firm as efficiently as possible.

The team at Faraci is excited about ProLaw’s XII’s “Pro Filing” features, particularly the ability to save emails and attachments to the relevant matter in ProLaw with one click and without leaving Microsoft® Outlook. The enhanced report functionality also saves time and provides access to more case, client and financial information with flexible standard report templates that eliminate the need to create a report from scratch. With automatic report scheduling and distribution, staff has access to more information when they need it. More…

The law firm of Faraci Lange LLP once again received multiple top-tier honors among Rochester, N.Y. firms in the 2011-2012 U.S. News – Best Lawyers^® “Best Law Firms” rankings.

According to the legal profession’s peer-review publication, Faraci Lange is the first-tier, best law firm in four plaintiffs’ categories in the Rochester area: Legal Malpractice Law, Medical Malpractice Law, Personal Injury Litigation and Product Liability Litigation.

Best Lawyers is the oldest and most respected peer-review publication in the legal profession. For a quarter century, the company has helped lawyers and clients find legal counsel in distant jurisdictions or unfamiliar specialties. The U.S. News Media Group is a multi-platform digital publisher of news and analysis, which includes the monthly U.S. News & World Report magazine, the digital-only U.S. News Weekly magazine, www.usnews.com, and www.rankingsandreviews.com.

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In August 2010, DePuy Orthopaedic, Inc. announced a recall of its metal-on-metal hip resurfacing components, ASR^TM XL Acetabular System/DePuy ASRTM Hip Resurfacing System. Since that time, thousands of individuals worldwide who received this defective product were forced to undergo risky and painful revision surgery. Initially, DePuy released a statement that it expected about 13% of these hips to fail. However, it is now evident that DePuy underestimated the failure rate of its defective device. Earlier this year, the British Hip Society and British Orthopaedic Association issued a joint statement stating that the early failure rate is much higher than anticipated ranging from a 21% revision rate at four years to 49% at six years.

Following the recall of the DePuy Orthopaedic, Inc’s metal-on-metal hip resurfacing components, ASR^TM XL Acetabular System/DePuy ASR^TM Hip Resurfacing System, reports of failure of metal-on-metal hips in the United States have continued to rise. An analysis done by The New York Times indicates that the Food and Drug Administration has received more than 5,000 reports of problems with these devices in the first half of 2011 alone. This is more than four times the number of complaints received by the FDA in the previous four years combined and likely understates the actual scope of the problem because although companies must file adverse reports, doctors and patients are not required to. More…

Nicholas J. Pontzer, an associate at the law firm of Faraci Lange LLP, has been admitted as a member of the New York State Bar.

A swearing-in ceremony took place Oct. 19, 2011 in the Fourth Judicial Department of the New York State Supreme Court’s Appellate Division at the Dolores Denman Courthouse in Rochester.

Pontzer focuses his practice on commercial and real estate litigation, and on labor and employment cases involving termination issues, discrimination, and wage and hour claims. He now is a member of the New York State Bar Association, the Monroe County Bar Association and the Illinois State Bar Association.

A Rochester, N.Y. resident, Pontzer earned his law degree from the University of Chicago.