Florida Hip Implant Recalls

Hip Implant Recall

Kagan Law Firm is accepting cases resulting from the recall of metal-on-metal hip implants including several hip implants from DePuy Orthopaedics, a member of the Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies. The implants were recalled in August 2010 by DePuy following the release of a study by the National Joint Registry of England and Wales. The study indicated a failure rate of 12 percent in the DePuy ASR Hip Resurfacing System, and a failure rate of 13 percent in the DePuy ASR XL Acetabular System. Patients whose implants failed needed a second hip replacement within five years or the original hip replacement surgery. Using these statistics as a guide, one out of every eight hip replacements with this implant system will fail, often requiring a revision (second) surgery.

Overview of DePuy hip recalls

DePuy Orthopaedics and Johnson & Johnson recalled the ASR XL Acetabular System and ASR Hip Resurfacing System hip implants in August 2010. Only DePuy ASR hip replacements that were implanted after July 2003 were affected by the recall. About 93,000 of these devices have been implanted worldwide.

Side effects/complications

Symptoms of implant failure may include hip/groin pain, local swelling, numbness or changes in your ability to walk. However, there are many reasons a patient with a metal-on-metal hip implant may experience such symptoms and it does not mean your implant must be replaced but it is important that you contact your surgeon to help determine the cause.

There are also case reports of the metal particles causing a reaction around the joint, leading to deterioration of the tissue around the joint, loosening of the implant, and failure of the device. In addition, some metal ions from the implant may enter into the blood stream. There have been a few recent case reports of patients with metal-on-metal hip implants developing a reaction to these ions and experiencing medical problems that might have been related to their implants, including effects on the nervous system, heart, and thyroid gland.

What are my legal options if I’ve have a Depuy implant?

If you received a DePuy ASR XL Acetabular System or ASR Hip Resurfacing System hip implant after 2003, contact Kagan Law Firm at 239-466-1161 to discuss your legal options. Patients who have experienced problems with a DePuy hip replacement may be eligible to join a class action lawsuit filed on behalf of DePuy users. However, because class action settlements can place limits on the amount of compensation you receive, DePuy patients should speak with a lawyer about their legal options before joining a class action case.

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