Anterior Cervical Fusion W/ Bone Graft (installed Atalanti Plate System)
Has anyone had this done???? I have been sick w/ this issue for 7 yrs .......I found out May 1st there is a Lawsuit w/ Medtronic ..If anyone shares this issue please post your Issues
Welcome to the board. Medtronic is involved in law suits regarding almost every product they manufacture. Spine surgery is a risky proposition under the best of circumstances. If you have researched your surgeon and have concluded he/she is the best surgeon available to you, you have discussed why he/she feels this is the best solution to your issues, and have asked about the risks of this particular system with the surgeon, I would not worry too much about it.
If it is a new system without much of a track record, and you determine your surgeon is using it primarily because he wants to gain experience with it, then I would consider a different surgeon.
I trust you have consulted with several different orthopedic spine surgeons and neurosurgeons before deciding on this particular procedure.
"IK021461, SE 07/22/2002). The results of the
testing performed for the subject ATLANTIS Translational Plate and subject screws were
equivalent to or better than the testing performed for the ZEPHIR® Anterior Cervical System."
The above is from one of the studies done for FDA approval back in 2002, so I guess it isn't all that new!!
Welcome to the board. Medtronic is involved in law suits regarding almost every product they manufacture. Spine surgery is a risky proposition under the best of circumstances. If you have researched your surgeon and have concluded he/she is the best surgeon available to you, you have discussed why he/she feels this is the best solution to your issues, and have asked about the risks of this particular system with the surgeon, I would not worry too much about it.
If it is a new system without much of a track record, and you determine your surgeon is using it primarily because he wants to gain experience with it, then I would consider a different surgeon.
I trust you have consulted with several different orthopedic spine surgeons and neurosurgeons before deciding on this particular procedure.
"IK021461, SE 07/22/2002). The results of the
testing performed for the subject ATLANTIS Translational Plate and subject screws were
equivalent to or better than the testing performed for the ZEPHIR® Anterior Cervical System."
The above is from one of the studies done for FDA approval back in 2002, so I guess it isn't all that new!!
Thanks for your info but nothing was determined...I was to Ill and it was a ER surgery! The Doctor (Dr. Arthur)Hot Springs AR at St. Joseph did the surgery and as I found has a bad track record of 12 cervical fusion lawsuits in the past( I do believe I have much to worry over I'm not well) and in fact I couldn't swallow this morning of get water down ..this has increased over the last 2 yrs. I walk with a limp and have a swollen neck most of the time etc etc.....
Hi....I'm Jenny from the Spinal Cord Disorders board were most of the "neck people" are. Can you tell me how many levels you had done with this system? Have you been to another spine surgeon since to see if the system is the problem?
Any kind of fusion often leads to further deterioration both above and below the fusion so it could be that and not the plate type and screws. My fusion was done with a bone putty that was later rejected by the FDA because of deaths following it's use so I know what it's like to find out after the fact. But like you, it was an emergency.
But I get yearly x-rays to check for deterioration in the disks and vertebrae adjacent to the fusion and I know I will eventually need additional surgery due to it.
If you'd like to meet others with cervical fusions, come on down to the Spinal Cord Disorders board and say hello and ask if anyone else has the same thing.
