By Megan Breckenridge, Staff Writer
SULLO & SULLO, LLP
HOUSTON—On August 26, 2010, DePuy Orthopedics, Inc., a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, announced it is voluntarily recalling two types of hip implants due to high early failure rates.
SULLO & SULLO, LLP
HOUSTON—On August 26, 2010, DePuy Orthopedics, Inc., a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, announced it is voluntarily recalling two types of hip implants due to high early failure rates.
The
recall affects the ASR™ XL Acetabular System, which is used for total
hip replacements, and the DePuy ASR™ Hip Resurfacing system, which is
used in a newer kind of bone-conserving procedure. To date, more than
93,000 of the devices have been implanted worldwide.
DePuy
said that it was issuing the recall after new data from a British joint
replacement registry showed about 1 in 8, or around 12 percent, of
those who received the implants needed corrective procedures, called
revision surgeries, within five years. Typically, the devices are
supposed to last 15 years before requiring any corrective revision.
DePuy’s
hip replacement system—a metal-on-metal implant—has been linked to
metal poisoning or metallosis, which, according to the Journal of Bone
& Joint Surgery, is "aseptic fibrosis, local necrosis or loosening
of a device secondary to metallic corrosion and release of wear debris."
Design problems with the devices cause the metal components to rub
against each other and shed microscopic metal particles into the body,
which can result in soft tissue damage, inflammatory reactions and bone
loss.
Symptoms of metallosis from
metal-on-metal hip replacement devices can include pain, inflammation,
tumors and difficulty walking. Specialized blood tests can be used to
detect levels of toxic metals in patients experiencing these symptoms.
In some cases, patients with DePuy implants have been found with 100
times the normal levels chromium and cobalt in their bodies.
Metal-on-metal
devices gained popularity in recent years among orthopedic surgeons and
patients who believed they would be more durable than those made of
other materials, such as ceramics. But it soon became apparent that many
of the devices were deteriorating quickly, shedding metallic debris
that was readily absorbed into the bloodstream.
The
New York Times reported in March that it was "not clear whether some
makers’ devices are more prone to the debris problem than others. But
some experts argue that some manufacturers, in a rush to meet the demand
for metal-on-metal devices, marketed some poorly designed implants and
that some doctors fail to properly implant even well-designed ones."
But
it appears that DePuy’s ASR devices are more prone to debris problems
than other brands. The first lawsuit filed in the United States against
DePuy over the defective ASR hip implants was in March 2009—almost 18
months before the device was recalled. In fact, the Food & Drug
Administration (FDA) had received over 500 complaints about the devices
through the years leading up to the recall, but no action was taken as a
result.
Countless patients are now
left to struggle with the serious side effects of receiving a faulty hip
implant, including pain, inflammation, metallosis, and costly revision
surgery to correct these problems. And while DePuy’s recall notice
stated that, "DePuy intends to cover reasonable and customary costs of
testing and treatment if you need services, including revision surgery
if it is necessary," the company did not elaborate on what it perceives
is "reasonable" or mention compensation for injury, such as the damages
to overall physical and mental health, pain and mental anguish,
disfigurement and scarring, or future medical expenses.
If you or
someone you know received a defective DePuy ASR hip implant, it is
imperative that you obtain the counsel of an experienced personal injury
attorney. The litigation team at Sullo & Sullo, LLP will
aggressively defend you and make sure you receive the finest legal
representation in the country. Call us at 800-730-7607 for a free legal
consultation today.
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