Familes sue Synthes for relatives’ deaths in bone cement surgeries

Chester County-based Synthes Inc. is being sued for the deaths of two patients who died in bone cement surgeries.

Four company executives were sentenced to prison late last year after a federal court found Synthes’ bone cement product had been used in unlawful clinical trials.
Ryoichi Kikuchi and Barbara Marcelino both died during those surgeries.

The Inquirer reports the families’ attorney has not said how much money the suit calls for, and a trial date has not been set.

The Synthes execs pleaded guilty under the “responsible corporate officer doctrine” and were ordered to pay fines as part of their sentences.