Tulsa woman frustrated after knee replacement recall, multiple corrective knee surgeries

A Tulsa woman is part of a class-action lawsuit against Exactech, a company from Florida that’s accused of making faulty joint replacements.

Whitney Allen has had two additional knee surgeries because of the company’s recalled parts and is frustrated because now, the company is filing for bankruptcy.

WHITNEY’S STORY

Whitney Allen says after she got her knee replacement, she expected to have it for 20 to 25 years, but instead, she needed two more surgeries in just two years.

Allen loves to be active and before her knee surgeries, enjoyed skiing and traveling with her family. Now, she’s having to recover from yet another major knee surgery.

"It's not just, I got a bad implant, Exactech replaced it, and we're down the road,” said Allen. “This has truly affected many years of my life. Of me being able to be active, and do things."

She says it’s been a frustrating and expensive process.

"Not only do you have this, 'Oh my gosh, I have to have surgery and take off work and my family take off work,’ you have this added expense of not a second, but a third additional surgery,” said Allen.

Allen received her first knee surgery in Jan. 2016 and had been having pain and swelling for years after. In May of 2022, she got a letter through certified mail saying her implant had been recalled.

"I remember the shock when I opened this letter telling me that my knee implant, that was in my knee, had a recall on it,” said Allen. “Like your car does when you need to get the seat belt replaced.”

This led to two surgeries to fix the damage from the knee replacement, because the first time they only took out the part that was recalled before later deciding to take out the entire joint.

Her first revision surgery was in Jan. of 2023, and her second revision surgery was in Dec. of 2024.

"You can very clearly see the problems that were with that insert,” said Allen. “Where it was beginning to crack, and flake off, and all of those pieces were in my knee."

She says her surgeons also had to wash out the fragmented materials from her knee.

"Both surgeons have told me that even when they go in and they wash your knee out, that those microscopic pieces that flaked off of that original implant, they get into your muscle,” said Allen.

People like Allen aren’t likely to be compensated now since the company filed for bankruptcy in October. She says she would love to tell the bankruptcy court all she’s gone through.

"The bankruptcy hearings, I can't fly because of my surgery,” said Allen. “And I definitely can't ride in a car, which would be even harder to do. So I'm not able to go to these hearings. I'm not able to go, 'Hey I'm a number in these 1,800 in this class action suit, and I want to tell you my story.”’

BANKRUPTCY FILING

Court records from the District of Delaware show Exactech filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy in Oct. 2024.

According to the U.S. Courts, Chapter 11 Bankruptcy allows companies to reorganize and come up with a plan to pay creditors over time.

RECALL INFORMATION

For information from Exactech on the recalls visit: https://www.exac.com/recall-information/

For information from the FDA on the recalls visit: https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/safety-communications/risks-exactech-joint-replacement-devices-defective-packaging-fda-safety-communication

If you are worried you might be part of this recall, talk to your doctor.

EXACTECH RESPONSE

News On 6 tried to contact Exactech several times for this story but did not get a response.