Xiaflex lawsuit

Xiaflex lawsuit and Dupuytren’s contracture 

How to reduce Xiaflex lawsuits 

Xiaflex lawsuit background  

This Xiaflex lawsuit information is useful for two groups of people.  Those just thinking about starting a Xiaflex lawsuit.  And, those  not sure about having a Xiaflex procedure, who want to avoid a lawsuit later.

Before starting a Xiaflex lawsuit, injured patients sometimes contact DCI and Natural Health Education LLC.  They ask for help and advice.   Of course, this website does not give legal advice or opinions. Instead, we share the experience of hundreds of people who used Xiaflex treatment for Dupuytren’s contracture.  This includes general information about their Xiaflex lawsuits.

A Xiaflex procedure is surgery done with a needle, not a scalpel.  Unfortunately, without a large incision to open the palm, the surgeon cannot see the cord or tip of the needle while injecting the Xiaflex.  Instead, the doctor relies on keen skill and long experience to avoid placing Xiaflex into muscles, tendons, ligaments and nerves next to the DC cord.  This makes Xiaflex surgery difficult to do well.   Sadly, some procedures go badly wrong, leading to legal complaints.

DCI speaks to many people each month.  Many have had a Xiaflex procedure done.  They all believed Xiaflex is as good non-surgical treatment for Dupuytren’s contracture.   Afterward, they report side effects and complications that were far worse than they were prepared for.  All of them say they wished they asked more questions about the doctor who did the Xiaflex procedure.

Real Xiaflex patients tell what happened   

WebMD is a great website for drug information.  Actual patients tell stories about what happened to them after using a drug.  They also rate the effectiveness, ease of use and satisfaction with many drugs.  There is even a WebMD page about Xiaflex.

       WebMD user ratings for Xiaflex injection – Dupuytren’s  contracture – 81 reviews

  Effectiveness   3 out of 5 stars   (2.89 stars)
  Ease of use   3 out of 5 stars   (2.64 stars)
  Satisfaction     2 out of 5 stars   (2.42 stars)

In the opinion of DCI and Natural Health Education LLC, this Xiaflex satisfaction rating is not good.   WebMD reports Xiaflex is not as effective, or as easy to receive, as these patients expected.  As a group, they are not very satisfied after having the Xiaflex procedure.

Forget what DCI says.  Learn how 81 real patients say about their Xiaflex experience on WebMD.com.  This insight might help you decide if it is reasonable to consider a Xiaflex lawsuit.

General information about Xiaflex lawsuits 

Often, these lawsuits starts for one simple reason:  Someone is unhappy about what happened during or after Xiaflex hand surgery.

The Xiaflex enzyme dissolves the collagen in any tissue it contacts.  If it contacts a Dupuytren’s contracture finger cord it will break it down.  The problem is, it also breaks down collagen in any muscle, ligament, tendon, or nerve it touches by mistake.  When Xiaflex touches normal and healthy tissue, a nightmare can happen.

Xiaflex lawsuits are usually not about the drug itself.  Usually, the suit is about the injection.  First, the doctor made a mistake of some kind while injecting the DC cord.   Second, all hand and arm complaints that started after the Xiaflex series result from that mistake of the doctor.   Lastly, a Xiaflex lawsuit will typically question the skill and ability of the doctor who did the procedure.

No one has ever told DCI that a Xiaflex lawsuit started because Xiaflex failed to dissolve the collagen it contacted.  Based on what we are told, lawsuits for Xiaflex are about improper and inaccurate injection; putting Xiaflex where it does not belong.  Perhaps there are exceptions, but DCI has not heard any.

Xiaflex complaints received by the FDA each year    

          Complaints lead to Xiaflex lawsuits

   Year     Total Xiaflex complaints
to the FDA

  2012        39
  2013   23
  2014   40
  2015   342
  2016   420
  2017   320
  2018   411
  2019   659

Each year the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reports the number of complaints it receives about different drugs.  It also reports the complaints it receives about the Xiaflex procedure.  That number increases each year.  It is difficult to know if these total numbers are actually large or small.  No comparison can be made because the total number of Xiaflex procedures cannot be found.

When the FDA determines that the complaints reach an excessive number, they investigate.                           

Additional information is available on the FDA website concerning type, location and degree of injury in these Xiaflex complaints.  Compare this FDA information to your own complaints for an idea how reasonable a Xiaflex lawsuit might be.

Reduce Xiaflex lawsuits

Reducing Xiaflex lawsuits is easy.

Do your homework to find the best doctor available. Keep a high standard when you evaluate the doctor who wants to do your Xiaflex procedure.

  • Understand the difficulty of injecting Xiaflex accurately and safely into the DC cord. Injecting Xiaflex is not like “giving a shot.”  It is a high-skill art.  Like playing a violin or doing a root canal. Some do it better than others.   A few do it poorly.  If only brilliant surgical specialists with gifted hands did Xiaflex injections, fewer lawsuits would occur.  The section below, “Questions to ask your doctor” will help you find a great doctor.
  • Ask your primary healthcare doctor, local medical society or health insurance company for information about the surgeon’s experience with the Xiaflex procedure.
  • Just because someone is an MD does not mean they are good with their hands.  Some are great.  Some are not so great, and cause Xiaflex lawsuits.
  • Try not to need Xiaflex or other surgery for your DC. Consider using a non-drug and non-surgical natural Dupuytren’s contracture treatment.   DCI receives 8-10 reports of moderate to marked improvement of Dupuytren’s contracture after using an aggressive DCI alternative medicine plan, for every one report of failure.

Questions to ask your doctor

Have a friend or relative with you when you talk with a doctor about a Xiaflex procedure.   This extra set of ears can pick up helpful information you might miss.  Additionally, this person can provide useful testimony about what was said, or not said, by the doctor if a lawsuit comes up later.

The American College of Surgeons (ACS) tells people to ask direct like these before agreeing to any kind of surgical procedure.   Make notes while the doctor is speaking.  Expect full and honest answers.  If you do not understand an answer, keep asking until you understand.

If the doctor becomes upset, or refuses to answer a question, you have to wonder why.  Perhaps the doctor does not want to give embarrassing answers.  These are standard basic questions; nothing mean or nasty.

Take these questions into the room with you:

  • What is the total number of Xiaflex procedures have you ever done?  How many in the last year?
  • What is your success rate?
  • What risks and possible complications can I expect?   Can you estimate the best outcome I can expect from Xiaflex?  What is the worse outcome I can expect?
  • How long will the benefit of a Xiaflex procedure last?  Will the DC cord return or recur after some time?  What is the average time for recurrence of the cord you usually see?   How about the shortest time for recurrence you have ever seen?
  • Have any of your patients had any kind of nerve, muscle or tendon injuries?  What is the worse outcome you have seen in your Xiaflex patients?  Has anyone needed a second surgery to correct the complications after a Xiaflex procedure?
  • Has any patient ever sued you for malpractice after a Xiaflex procedure? Did they win?

Practical advice about finding a lawyer

Find a great lawyer, and closely follow his or her advice.

To find a great lawyer, it might be necessary to look out of your local area.  Better lawyers tend to locate in larger cities – but not always.  Call your state bar association.  Ask for names of large and well-known plaintiff law firms, specializing in medical and surgical malpractice.  Better yet, ask for the names of lawyers who have handled Xiaflex lawsuits in the past. These might not be malpractice specialists, but have some  experience with the issues you face.

It is important to find a great attorney who has won many, many large cases.

If you do not feel comfortable talking to lawyers, or feel you would not know what to ask, get help.  Get someone to go with you, and be part of starting a discussion.  Ask a trusted relative or friend, especially someone in business who has with experience dealing with lawyers.

Do not hire:

  • Your neighbor’s grandson who just graduated from law school.
  • An attorney down the street just because he did a good job writing your will.
  • An attorney just because she goes to your church.

If your Xiaflex lawsuit is important, work with the very best lawyer available.