If you have a metal-on-metal hip replacement, your health could be at risk! Metal-on-metal hip replacements, in which the ball and socket are made from a chromium and cobalt alloy, as well as other types of hip replacement implants with metal components, have raised significant safety concerns in recent years, as the toxic metal particles shed by the devices may lead to a number of serious complications, including :

  • Metallosis
  • Loosening of the Joint
  • Chronic Pain
  • Swelling

Thousands of people across the country have filed metal-on-metal hip replacement recall lawsuits against numerous metal-on-metal hip replacement manufacturers seeking compensation for what are sometimes life-altering injuries.

Wright & Schulte LLC is currently investigating metal-on-metal hip replacement recall lawsuits involving a number of devices, including:

  • DePuy ASR Hip Implants
  • DePuy Pinnacle Hip Replacements (version that utilizes the Ultamet liner)
  • Stryker Rejuvenate and ABG II hip stems

If you or a loved one suffered painful and debilitating complications following implantation with a metal-on-metal hip replacement, we urge you to contact our firm today. Our metal-on-metal hip replacement recall lawyers may be able to help you obtain compensation for your injury-related damages, such as medical bills and lost wages, as well as payment for emotional distress, permanent disability, and pain and suffering. To learn more, please contact Wright & Schulte LLC as soon possible for a free, no obligation metal-on-metal hip replacement recall lawsuit consultation to ensure you are treated fairly and receive all of the compensation the law allows.

Metal-On-Metal Hip Replacement Implant Complications

As recently as 2010, it was estimated that as many as 1/3 of the 250,000 hip replacement surgeries performed each year in the U.S. involved the use of metal-on-metal hip replacements. Such devices were marketed to younger, more active patients, and it was believed that they would prove to be more durable than hip implants constructed of other materials. However, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) allowed metal-on-metal hip replacements to come to market under its 510(k) approval process, which doesn’t require any human testing for medical devices that are shown to be “substantially equivalent” in design to a product already approved by the agency. Unfortunately, this type of FDA clearance means that any problems with a medical device aren’t usually detected until it has been used in hundreds, if not thousands, of patients.

Metal-On-Metal Hip Replacement Recall

The problems associated with metal-on-metal hip replacement implants garnered widespread attention in August 2010, when DePuy Orthopaedics, a division of Johnson & Johnson, issued a metal-on-metal hip replacement recall for its ASR line of hip implants. Since then, a number of studies have cast suspicion on all types of metal-on-metal hip replacements, prompting the FDA to conduct a wide-ranging review of their safety. In January 2013, the agency warned that patients fitted with all-metal hips were at risk for premature device failure due to metal ions that can be shed from the hips as a result of the friction created between the metal ball and cup. When these metal ions build up in the tissue surrounding the implant, recipients can develop an adverse local tissue reaction known as metallosis, which can manifest in pain, swelling and loosening of the implant, and may lead to early failure and the need for patients to undergo revision surgery to have the device removed and replaced. There’s also some evidence that if this metal debris accumulates in the blood stream, patients could experience systemic reactions in other parts of the body, including the heart, central nervous system, and kidneys.

The FDA has advised patients with metal-on-metal hips to undergo blood tests to detect excessive levels of metal ions in their blood if they experience any of the following symptoms:

  • Pain in the groin, hip or leg
  • Swelling at or near the hip joint
  • A limp or change in walking ability
  • Noise (popping, grinding, clicking or squeaking) from the hip joint

The agency has also proposed new rules that would make metal-on-metal replacement hips ineligible for the 510(k) clearance process, and that would also require the manufacturers of all-metal hips already on the market to conduct post-market safety studies of their products if they wanted to keep selling them.

Metal-On-Metal Hip Replacement Recall Lawsuits And Litigation

Tens of thousands of people are currently pursuing metal-on-metal hip replacement recall lawsuits in courts throughout the U.S. Some of the most noteworthy litigations include:

  • DePuy ASR Hip Replacement Recall Lawsuits: The DePuy ASR hip recall was announced in August 2010 after the devices were found to be failing in about 13% of recipients within just five years of implantation. By August 2013, more than 11,500 DePuy ASR hip replacement recall lawsuits had been filed in courts around the country by recipients of the recalled device. A multidistrict litigation has been established in U.S. District Court, Northern District of Ohio, for all DePuy ASR hip recall lawsuits filed in federal courts.
  • DePuy Pinnacle Hip Replacement Lawsuits: Thousands of metal-on-metal hip replacement recall lawsuits involving a version of the DePuy Pinnacle hip replacement system that utilizes the Ultamet liner are currently pending in a federal multidistrict underway in U.S. District Court, Northern District of Texas. While there has never been a DePuy Pinnacle hip recall issued for this device, plaintiffs in DePuy Pinnacle hip replacement lawsuits allege the metal-on-metal model has the same problems as the ASR and should have been recalled. In May 2013, DePuy Orthopaedics announced it would stop selling this version of the Pinnacle, but insisted safety concerns were not behind the decision.
  • Stryker Rejuvenate Hip Replacement Recall Lawsuits: Stryker recalled its Rejuvenate and ABG II Modular-Neck Hip Stems in July 2012 because the devices were prone to fretting and corrosion at the modular neck junction. Though not technically metal-on-metal hips, Stryker has warned that the Rejuvenate and ABG components may cause many of the same problems, including adverse local tissue reactions. Hundreds of Stryker Rejuvenate hip replacement recall lawsuits have been filed in a multidistrict litigation underway in U.S. District Court, District of Minnesota. Additional Stryker hip replacement lawsuits are also pending in a consolidated litigation underway in New Jersey Superior Court.

Metal-On-Metal Hip Replacement Recall Lawsuit Consultations

Wright & Schulte LLC is offering free legal consultations to victims of metal-on-metal hip replacement complications, including those associated with the DePuy ASR hip implant, the all-metal DePuy Pinnacle hip replacement, and the Stryker Rejuvenate hip implant recall. To explore your legal options, including filing a Metal-on-Metal Hip Replacement Recall Lawsuit please contact Wright & Schulte LLC today by completing the online form on the right, or call toll free, 1-800-399-0795.

FREE CASE REVIEW

For a FREE Case Review, please complete the form. Our attorneys will review your case promptly and contact you to discuss your legal rights and options.

    LET’S WORK TOGETHER

    For a free, no obligation legal evaluation of your case, simply fill out the online form on the right, or give Wright & Schulte LLC a call, toll-free, at 1-800-399-0795.