Spinal Cord Stimulator Lawsuits In Albany, New York

Jed Dietrich, Esq., Is a Recognized Super Lawyer Committed to Protecting the Rights of Spinal Cord Stimulator Injury Victims In and Around Albany. If You or a Loved One Have Been Hurt by a Defective Spinal Cord Stimulator, The Dietrich Law Firm P.C. Could Help You Explore Your Best Options for Effective Legal Relief.

A spinal cord stimulator, or SCS, is a treatment of last resort.

Doctors use stimulators to treat chronic and severe back pain, but only when other treatments have failed. Using a complex array of surgically implanted wires, stimulators can, in effect, trick the brain into suppressing its own pain signals, offering relief with the push of a remote-control button.

For years, medical-device manufacturers have touted stimulators as a safe and modern alternative to addictive painkillers and more invasive procedures. However, a growing body of evidence suggests that spinal cord stimulators are far more problematic than many companies are willing to admit. Aside from well-known risks like tingling, incontinence, and shifting internal components, some patients have reported internal electrical injuries, organ damage, and debilitating neurological issues.

If you or a loved one has been injured by a defective spinal cord stimulator, you have a right to file a claim for compensation. Of course, filing a lawsuit is very different from winning one. Companies like Boston Scientific and Abbott Laboratories are worth billions and billions of dollars, and they are not afraid to pick a fight. They know that settling a high-stakes claim is bad for both profitability and publicity, and they rarely have any reservations about pouring massive amounts of money into their own defense.

You do not have to accept bad-faith excuses and unending litigation in place of fair and reasonable compensation. For more than 20 years, the Dietrich Law Firm P.C. has helped Upstate New York families file, fight, and win product liability lawsuits against some of the biggest and most powerful companies in the country. We know what it takes to build the kind of compelling, evidence-based case that holds up in court, and we have the results to prove it. Send us a message online or call us today at 1-866-529-5334 to speak to an SCS injury lawyer near Albany and schedule your 100% free, no-obligation consultation as soon as possible.

Back pain has a variety of causes.

In the United States, one of the most common causes relates to the degeneration of spinal disks, the tough, rubbery cushion that rests between each vertebra in your backbone. Disks can weaken with age or through trauma, sometimes bulging out of place or rupturing. Increased pressure can impact nerve roots, causing intense pain that does not go away on its own.

Spinal cord stimulators are used to treat conditions like ruptured and herniated disks, as well as neuropathic pain. More often than not, doctors will try other options before suggesting a stimulator. These first-line treatments usually include some combination of medication, prescription painkillers, and physical therapy. If a patient does not respond, or their symptoms show no improvement within a reasonable span of time, their doctor might recommend a stimulator as a long-term or permanent solution.

Stimulators operate on a fairly simple principle. The physical sensation of pain occurs when the nervous system sends a specific electrical signal from the nerve endings to the spinal cord and from the spinal cord to the brain. The brain quickly processes the signal, translating it into a distinctly unpleasant sensation. Stimulators use electrical currents to achieve a similar effect. However, instead of triggering discomfort, the electrical current produced by a standard stimulator sends a wave of alternating signals to the brain, suppressing natural pain impulses.

Spinal cord stimulators require a surgical procedure for implantation.

Complications can occur at any time during or after the initial surgery. Some of the most common side effects include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. Post-surgical infection;
2. Internal bleeding or organ damage;
3. Displacement or “migration” of the device;
4. Damage to the device requiring removal; and
5. Punctures to the membranous network surrounding the spine.

If a defective spinal cord stimulator breaks or becomes displaced, the damage is rarely limited to the device itself. Since 2000, the Food and Drug Administration has investigated nearly 200,000 complaints of SCS-related defects, with about 118,000 resulting in physical injury. These injuries vary in their severity but include instances of electrocution, tissue damage, sexual dysfunction, urinary incontinence, and life-altering neurological disability. Several deaths have also been attributed to stimulators, which are now among the most-flagged medical devices still on the market.

Medical device manufacturers, hospitals, and doctors all have a responsibility to patients.

The liable parties in an SCS injury claim could include any one or more of the following:

1. A doctor. Individual physicians can sometimes be held liable for stimulator-related injuries if, when prescribing, implanting, or maintaining the device, they exercise a level of care below what a similarly trained and reasonably competent professional would be expected to provide.
2. The hospital. Hospitals could also be found liable if institutional negligence either caused or contributed to a spinal cord stimulator injury.
3. A medical device company. Under New York law, medical device companies like Boston Scientific, Abbott, and Medtronic are strictly liable for certain types of manufacturing defects.

Your damages are unique to your case, but they could include compensation for:

1. Your existing medical bills;
2. The costs of anticipated and future care;
3. Money for long-term care or assisted living;
4. Physical rehabilitation;
5. Paid co-pays, deductibles, and other expenses you have incurred as the result of an SCS-related complication;
6. Lost income from work;
7. Diminished earning potential
8. Emotional pain and suffering;
9. Physical pain and suffering;
10. Disfigurement; and
11. Wrongful death.

Since our founding in 2005, the Dietrich Law Firm P.C. has helped our clients in Albany and throughout the state secure more than $300 million in damages. We could help you, too, but you have to act fast. Call Jed Dietrich, Esq., today at 1-866-529-5334 to speak to a spinal cord stimulator lawyer near Albany and schedule your 100% free, no-obligation consultation as soon as possible.

Call the Dietrich Law Firm P.C. immediately at 1-866-529-5334 so that our aggressive, tenacious, and hardworking personal injury lawyers can fight to obtain the best result for your personal injury claim in Albany, New York. We are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and there is never a fee until we WIN for you!