Defective Hip Replacement and Hip Implant Recall Lawsuits
More than 300,000 hip replacement surgeries occur annually in the United States. The goal of the surgery and hip implant or replacement is to improve mobility and relieve hip pain. Unfortunately, thousands of patients are finding out their devices have failed and caused serious health problems.
In the last 20 years, hundreds of hip replacement recalls were issued for hip implants and hip replacements produced by Biomet, DePuy, Smith & Nephew, Stryker, Wright, and Zimmer. Stryker and DePuy had nearly half of the nearly 600 recalls reported. Faulty hip implants have led to thousands of hip replacement lawsuits. These lawsuits allege the companies who recalled the products knew about their faulty designs or failed to warn patients of the risks of the implant.
Metal on Metal Hip Implants
Hip joint deterioration often requires a hip replacement or hip implant device for the patient. Thousands of people have received metal on metal hip implants, where both the ball and socket are made of metal. Recently, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has asked manufacturers of the metal-on-metal hip replacements to conduct studies regarding the safety and longevity of the device. Medical studies have shown that metal on metal hip implants have a much higher failure rate vs ceramic or plastic. The metal on metal design often requires a corrective surgery or replacement years before the end of the expected product life.
Stryker Hip Replacement Lawsuits
The Stryker hip recall affects over 20,000 patients it was implanted in from 2009 through 2012. The models included in the recall are the Rejuvenate, ABG II, and LFIT Anatomic CoCr V40 femoral heads. The metal on metal design is causing the device to fail at an alarming rate. The grinding of the metal on metal device can cause severe pain and metal shards to be released into the bloodstream even.
DePuy ASR Hip Recall
DePuy is a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson. DePuy Orthopaedics is one of the divisions within DePuy and recalled the ASR Hip Resurfacing System and ASR XL Acetabular System in 2010. The recalled hip devices were failing at high rates, often requiring revision surgeries within 5 years after the initial implant. The expected lifespan of most hip replacements is around 15 years. The ASR Hip Resurfacing System was used by about 30,000 Americans.
Smith & Nephews Hip Replacement Recall
Smith & Nephew launched the R3 Acetabular System hip replacement device in the US in 2009. After only three years, it was recalled. Up to 8000 patients received this defective medical device. Like other metal on metal defective hip implants, it was pushed to the market before proper testing could take place. The loophole known as the 510(k) process through the U.S. Food and Drug Administration lets manufacturers of such devices skimp on testing procedures and trials if there are other similar products on the market already.
Zimmer Femoral Head and M/L Taper Hip Prosthesis
Zimmer Biomet is the largest hip implant manufacturer in the U.S. and currently produces a variety of medical device products. Zimmer recalled its metal-on-metal hip component in 2008 after receiving reports of high rates of failure of the device. The Durom Acetubular Component, also known as the Durom Cup was recalled and was the subject of mass tort litigation. Up to 12,000 patients were implanted with the device before it was recalled. Recently, Zimmer’s Versys Femoral Head and M/L Taper Hip Prosthesis have come under scrutiny as well. To read more about the current lawsuits that involve M/L Taper Hip implants with the Versys Femoral Head, click here.
Defective Hip Replacement and Defective Hip Implant Lawsuit
Hundreds of thousands of Americans have received hip implants that were supposed to last 15-20 years or more. Unfortunately, many of the manufacturers produced defective hip implant medical devices that have caused severe pain, metal poisoning, and required corrective surgery and repairs to fix the problems the metal-on-metal hip recalled hip implants caused. If you or a loved one were implanted with a recalled hip implant and suffered metal toxicity, necrosis, severe pain, and other hip implant problems, call the drug attorneys at the Willis Law Firm today for a free and private consultation. The Drug Attorneys team can quickly determine whether you may have a claim for financial compensation. This consultation is confidential and free. Contact our firm today using the form on this page or call us at 1-800-883-9858
