subject: A Closer Look at the DePuy Hip Implant [print this page] A Closer Look at the DePuy Hip Implant A Closer Look at the DePuy Hip Implant
If you have received hip replacement surgery after 2003, read on as you may be the recipient of a DePuy hip replacement device.
DePuy Orthopaedics, Inc. is a subsidiary company to the pharmaceutical giant Johnson and Johnson. DePuy is the manufacturer of two hip replacement devices that were voluntarily recalled in August of 2010. The two hip implant devices in question are the DePuy XL Acetabular Hip System and the DePuy ASR Hip Resurfacing Platform. Both of these devices were recalled based on reports that there was a five year failure rate of up to 13%.
Hip replacement devices all work in somewhat similar ways; they are designed too mimic the structure and motion of a natural hip joint. The hip joint consists of the femoral head (ball) rotating within a socket, or cup (called the acetabulum). There are a total of three hip replacement devices that can be used. The ASR Hip Replacement, the socket or acetabulum is replaced with a metal cup-like structure. With the ASR XL Total Hip Replacement, the metal femoral ball is attached to the femur bone of the leg. This ball joint moves within a metal acetabulum (socket). The DePuy Resurfacing System is made up of cups that cover both the femoral head and the surface of the socket or acetabulum.
Some individuals that have received the DePuy ASR XL Acetabular Hip System and well as the ASR Resurfacing Platform have experienced serious problems with these devices. There are several problems that are being experienced.
The implant does not affix to the surrounding bone properly. While some implants rely on bone screws to fasten the hip implant, these devices were created to have the patient's own surrounding bone grow around the implant to affix itself. Because of faulty design, these devices tend to loosen within the hip. Bone fractures and even breakage have been experienced with these products. Because of the poor design, patients also report feeling like the hip is dislocated.
The components of the implant device are all constructed of metal, namely chromium and cobalt. Normally hip implant devices are made of plastic, ceramic, sometimes in combination with metal. The DePuy devices are made of all metal, which is causing problems in some people. The metal components wear on each other, and create microscopic metallic fragments to be released in the surrounding hip tissue and blood stream. This condition can cause heavy metal poisoning, or metallosis. This condition is particularly troublesome because in some instances this can result in tissue damage and bone loss. This bone loss can be particular problematic if the patient requires a second revision surgery.
It is estimated that approximately 93,000 of these hip replacement devices were sold. While class actions have been filed in Canada, there is no class action against DePuy in the U.S. Cases have have organized into multi-district litigation. This is where each case is filed separately, but common aspects of the case are combined and supervised by a single judge. If you have received a DePuy hip implant and are experiencing problems, it is important to be informed as to what legal remedies are available to you. You deserve to be compensated for you injuries and financial loss.
