DePuy ASR Hip Replacement Recall
93,000 recipients worldwide have been informed that their DePuy replacement hip implants are defective and dangerous. The components can come loose, fracturing bone around the implant, depositing metal fragments in one’s tissues and bloodstream.
On August 26, 2010, DePuy Orthopedics, a unit of Johnson & Johnson, announced the recall of its hip implants known as the ASR XL Acetabular and ASR Hip Resurfacing systems. The DePuy ASR hip was implanted in 93,000 patients worldwide. Up to one in eight patients may be forced to undergo revision surgery due to a high early failure rate with the DePuy ASR artificial hip.
Specifically, the ASR implant is a metal-on-metal implant. Two huge failure issues have emerged with metal-on-metal implants: one, the devices slip or the shell does not sit in place in the hip and it resists bone growth; and, two, the friction of metal-on-metal causes microscopic shavings and metal debris to be released into the surrounding tissue and blood, resulting in a very painful, inflammatory reaction in the tissue and high blood metal content.
DePuy has informed physicians that patients should undergo blood tests to determine the presence of certain metals, including cobalt released from the metal-on-metal implants.
If you are one of more than 93,000 people worldwide affected by the recent recall of DuPuy, Inc.’s ASR Hip Replacement System, you may be in more danger than you realize. Countless patients have already come forward with horrific stories of pain and suffering as a result of the defective devices; the most common of which are related to metal poisoning, or metallosis, which is a reaction to the chromium and cobalt metal debris that is shed when components of the device rub together.
If you have experienced symptoms of chromium and cobalt toxicity, which include pain, inflammation, tumors and difficulty walking, it is imperative that you seek medical attention immediately. Specialized blood tests can be used to detect levels of these toxic metals in ASR Hip Replacement patients. In some cases, patients with DePuy ASR implants have been found with 100 times the normal levels chromium and cobalt in their bodies.
**If your specific question was not answered by the above, we encourage you to contact one of our expert attorneys. Any question that you may have concerning your potential case will be answered by one of our attorneys at no cost and of no further obligation to you.**
