DePuy Hip Replacement

If you or a loved one were given the DePuy Hip Replacement and have suffered because of it, call 1-888-341-1405 or contact us online to see how we can help you.

DePuy Orthopaedics, a division of Johnson & Johnson, recalled its DePuy ASR™ XL Acetabular Hip System and ASR™ Hip Resurfacing System in August 2010 because of an unexpectedly high failure rate for the metal-on-metal hip replacement. A study showed that one in eight recipients of the ASR™ system required another replacement hip surgery within five years. The latest data released on March 2, 2011 at the British Hip Society annual conference indicates a nearly 50-percent failure rate after six years for the ASR™ XL replacement hip.

What is the DePuy hip replacement?

The DePuy ASR™ XL Acetabular Hip System and DePuy ASR™ Hip Resurfacing System are metal-on-metal hip replacement systems that have ball-and-socket joints made from metals such as cobalt and chromium. Manufactured by Johnson & Johnson’s DePuy Orthopaedics, the ASR™ resurfacing system was approved by the FDA in 2003, and the hip system was approved in 2005. Both received approval without extensive testing because they were substantially similar in design, material composition and intended use as previously approved hip replacement systems.

Who uses it and for what conditions?

Patients who require a total hip replacement due to arthritis, collagen disorders, avascular necrosis, non-union of fractures, other hip disorders and replacement of a previous artificial system. A DePuy system often was chosen over older replacement systems because the metal-on-metal device was touted to last 15 years.

How does the DePuy ASR™ hip replacement system work?

The device replaces a natural hip with a manufactured one that is supposed to function like a normal hip.

Meant to last approximately 15 years, the replacement hip can fail within only a few years of surgery. Hundreds of patients who received the DePuy system complained of its early failure. Those who suffer a failure experience severe pain and often have to undergo complicated, painful and expensive replacement surgery and long-term rehabilitation.

In March 2010, DePuy notified doctors in a Field Safety Notice that the ASR™ hip replacements were failing at a greater rate than expected. DePuy already was phasing out the ASR hip implant system at that point.

On August 24, 2010, DePuy announced a voluntary recall of the ASR™ hip replacement systems. The company cited a report published in Britain that revealed an unacceptable failure rate of the device, resulting in revision surgery for 13 percent of patients, or one in eight, within five years.

A failure is evidenced by loosening of the implant where it is attached to the bone, a fracture of the bone around the implant, dislocation of the two implant parts, or the release of tiny metal fragments.

The ASR™ hip’s metal parts move against each other, generating microscopic particles that can result in metal poisoning or Metallosis due to high levels of chromium and cobalt in the blood. Reactions to these metal particles can cause soft tissue damage, cause inflammatory reactions and lead to bone loss. This can compromise the hip replacement, potentially leading to the need for hip revision surgery.

Side effects that have been linked to the DePuy hip replacement device include:

Blood test results that show high levels of chromium and cobalt caused by metal debris
Clicking, popping or grinding in the area of the hip implant
Device failure from loosening that results from bone loss
Dislocation (the two parts of the implant move against one another and become misaligned)
Fracture (bone around the implant breaking)
Loosening in the hip joint (implant fails to stay attached to the bone in the correct position)
Metal debris (component parts move together resulting in flecks of metal shavings that spread around the area surrounding the implant and destroy soft bone and tissue)
Problems involving walking, pain, swelling or discomfort in the hip area
Any of the above symptoms or related conditions that result in revision surgery to remove a Depuy hip device

What can you do?

If you or someone you love received a DePuy hip replacement system after July 2003 and are suffering from unexplained hip, thigh or groin pain or pain with walking, rising from a seated position or while bearing weight, you may be entitled to compensation for pain, suffering, physical injuries, medical expenses related to replacement surgery and other financial difficulties that result from a failed device.

Please call our toll-free number ( 1-888-341-1405) to discuss your case with one of our nationally recognized personal injury and defective device lawyers.

Each case is unique and requires a thorough review of the individual’s medical records to determine proper product identification and to determine potential damages as a result of the placement of a potentially defective hip implant.

How we can help

Thornton Law Firm LLP has been a leader in investigating and pursuing compensation for consumers who have been injured by defective drugs and medical devices for more than 40 years. We have a team of attorneys dedicated to this complex area of law. We understand your rights, what is at stake, and how to handle defective medical device claims from beginning to end.

Additional DePuy hip replacement recall resources

FDA-Metal-on-Metal Hip Implants
FDA Cites News Concerns About Metal-on-Metal Hip Implant Systems, 02/02/2011
FDA Warning Letter to DePuy Orthopaedics, 08/19/2010
Inspections, Compliance, Enforcement, and Criminal Investigations
J&J Hip Failure Rate as High as 49 Percent, U.K. Doctors Say, Bloomberg, 3/9/11
Johnson & Johnson Recalls Hip Implants, New York Times, 8/27/10

Trust our Massachusetts products liability attorneys to help

Contact the Boston law firm of Thornton Law Firm LLP online or at 1-888-341-1405 for a free consultation with a recognized leader in Massachusetts defective medical device litigation. You have nothing to risk. We offer a fair and accurate assessment of your case.