Implant Lawsuits

Advanced Bionics is facing lawsuits in 4 states over its bionic ear cochlear implant: Pennsylvania, Texas Kentucky and Oklahoma. The company issued a recall for the HiRes90K a year ago after reports of malfunctions and pain by some patients. The suits say the plaintiffs had to undergo surgery again to have the units replaced after failure. They point to a potentially defective seal that might have allowed moisture into the implant. This the same issue that lead another implant maker, Cochlear Limited, to recall its Nucleus 5 two months ago. Advanced Bionics also issued a recall of another implant in 2004 and again two years later.