The DePuy Hip Replacement System Recall
In August 2010, DePuy Orthopaedics Inc issued a worldwide recall of its ASR XL Acetabular Hip Replacement System and its ASR Articular Surface Hip Replacement System following a “higher than expected” failure rate. Hip replacements are usually expected to last fifteen to twenty years, but many of the DePuy ASR Hip Replacement Systems were found to be failing within five years, requiring patients who had them implanted to undergo painful revision surgery.
Although only these two models were recalled, other metal-on-metal hip replacements systems have also been used in hip replacement surgery in Ireland – most notably the DePuy Pinnacle Hip Replacement System. Some of these are known to also be failing within the industry accepted period.
If you have had a hip implant since this type of hip implant was introduced in 2003, you should speak with our specialist DePuy hip recall solicitor at your earliest opportunity by calling our free phone helpline .
What a “Higher than Expected” Failure Rate Means to You
If you have had any metal-on-metal hip replacement system implanted in the past ten years, you need to read this section very carefully. The friction between the metal components of the DePuy ASR hip replacement system release microscopic pieces of toxic metal into the bloodstream surrounding the implant. These can get absorbed into the soft tissues surrounding the hip and cause:-
- Hip Pain
- Thigh or Groin Pain
- Pain while Walking
- Pain When Rising from a Seated Position
- Pain when You Carry Any Weight
- Swelling around the Hip Area
Of more concern to doctors is the potential for high levels of chromium and cobalt within the bloodstream to bypass the area immediately surrounding the hip and cause damage elsewhere in the body. Medical journals have already reported adverse effects on hip implant patients hearts, thyroid glands and nervous systems, and research is still ongoing into the effect cobaltism has on the brain.
Ultimately, the continual wearing away of the metal components results in one of three possible outcomes:-
- The bone around the implant fractures
- The implant does not stay attached to the bone and becomes loose
- The implant dislocates, meaning that the arts which are meant to move against each other are misaligned
What Should be Done if You Have a DePuy Hip Replacement System
If you have had a DePuy hip replacement system implanted in Ireland since 2003, your first course of action should be to visit your local doctor to arrange a hip x-ray and a blood test. Irrespective of whether you are experiencing any of the above symptoms or not, it is important that your situation is regularly monitored. If high levels of cobalt or chromium are present in your blood, you should also insist on a CAT-scan to eliminate the possibility of neurological damage.
Thereafter, you should speak with our specialist DePuy hip recall solicitor as soon as possible by calling the above free help line number.
Product liability claims for compensation against DePuy Orthopaedics Inc are already being filed in America and Australia, and there is also the possibility that the Health Service Executive may be guilty of clinical negligence by continuing to implant patients in Ireland with the faulty DePuy hip replacement systems once they were aware that there was a problem with them. Furthermore, it is known that DePuy paid more than $80 million to physicians in the States to continue using the DePuy hip replacement systems immediately before the recall, and although there have been no allegations of impropriety between DePuy and surgeons in Ireland, should any come to light, there would also be justification for making claims against the Health Service Executive for criminal negligence.
UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SIGN THE DEPUY CONSENT FORM
Originally Johnson and Johnson, the parent company of DePuy Orthopaedics Inc, offered to cover the cost of monitoring patients and any revision surgery in return for the patient’s signature on a consent form which enabled Johnson and Johnson to recovered the faulty ASR hip replacement system, blood and tissue samples and the patient’s confidential medical notes. Following complaints from patients and their legal advisors, the Health Service Executive and the Independent Hospital Association of Ireland revised the consent forms so that a patient’s medical history was no longer sent to Johnson and Johnson, but by signing the DePuy consent form you may be disqualifying yourself from any compensation for the pain and suffering you will experience before, during and after the more invasive revision surgery.
Contact a specialist DePuy Hip Recall Solicitor
The consequences of needing revision surgery due to a faulty product can be far reaching, and each individual is affected differently. Therefore, it is advisable that you speak with a DePuy hip recall solicitor for a personal consultation about your right to claim compensation and to establish the potential value of your claim. There is no obligation on you to proceed with a DePuy hip replacement compensation claim once you have spoken with us. We simply wish to provide information and the latest news concerning this dreadful scenario to as many victims as possible, but with relevance to their own personal circumstances.
To contact us, please leave your name and a contact telephone number in the form below – advising us when would be a convenient time to call you – and a DePuy hip recall solicitor will get back in touch with you. You can contact us even if you are yet to see a doctor, just to receive some practical and helpful advice, but we recommend everybody who has received a DePuy ASR or Pinnacle hip replacement system to seek a medical examination as a matter of priority.