Have you gone through the stress of hip replacement surgery and it turned out that the artificial joint has failed to fit properly or the procedure left you experiencing more pain or lack of immobility than before the operation? Approximately 93,000 patients have potentially been harmed by the defective DePuy ASR hip replacement device. You may have already gotten the bad news from your doctor about the need to be screened for possible follow-up surgery.
DePuy Orthopaedics Inc., a division of the global Johnson & Johnson pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturer, issued a voluntary worldwide product recall of its metal-on-metal hip implant products.
Studies have shown that the DePuy ASR hip replacement product has a high failure rate: approximately 1 out of every 8 patients has to go through the physical and mental hardship of corrective hip surgery within as soon as five years. The failure rate is about twice the medical device industry average.
DePuy has admitted that there are problems with the DePuy hip replacement device, including a “loosening” or “misalignment” of the implant, infection, bone fracture around the implant, dislocation of the artificial implant’s ball and socket, metal sensitivity, and.or pain. DePuy has been criticicized for not pulling the ASR products off the market sooner.
The specific products in the recall are the ASR XL Acetabular System (a hip socket used in total hip replacements) and the DePuy ASR Hip Resurfacing System (a partial, bone-preserving hip replacement method that involves placing a metal cap on the ball of the femur).
The Acetabular System is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration but the Resurfacing System has not received FDA approval although it has been used overseas. The FDA also recently told DePuy to stop selling two other hip replacement devices that have yet to be approved by the government.
In an article about the the failed DePuy hip replacements, Arthritis Today cautions that defective hip replacements, which of course should be done right the first time, can pose serious health issues:
“Most people who replace a hip or knee can expect their new implants to last for the rest of their lives. But in some cases, usually because of loosening, when the components detach from the bone, infection or dislocation, implants have to be removed and replaced in a revision surgery. Revisions are more complicated and costly than primary joint replacements because surgeons have less bone and more scar tissue to work with. Signs that the implant may be failing include pain and difficulty walking.”
Why You Need to Take Legal Action:
If you are a hip replacement patient, you may have already been experiencing the persistent pain and tissue damage from a defective hip implant. In fact, your orthopedic surgeon may have already scheduled you for a second, painful procedure to remove and replace the defective hip implant. This is called revision surgery.
If you have been forced to endure an additional, expensive hip replacement surgery, you are entitled to compensation for your medical costs, plus pain and suffering, and other legal damages related to the defected DePuy hip device.
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