Complaints on hip implants continue piling up at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) with 5,000 of them added this year alone. Some 75 percent of those claims involved the hip replacement systems of DePuy Orthopaedics Inc., a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson. Several of those lawsuits have been consolidated into a multidistrict litigation (MDL), making it easier for initiating a hip replacement case. Due to the growing evidence against them, the British Hip Society has called for an informal metal-on-metal hip replacement imposition.


 
 A hip implant has a typical life expectancy of about 15 years.However, the complaints seem to suggest that many recipients already had their hip replacement devices removed only after a few years of having them. One of the main reasons for the removal is that the devices have failed and has resulted to complications ranging from pain to severe reactions to chromium and cobalt particles that separate from the device as they wear inside the body. A worldwide recall of its ASR XL Acetabular System and the DePuy ASR Hip Resurfacing Platform was initiated by DePuyin August 2010.
 
The cup of the recalled ASR or the Articular Surface Replacement is so shallow that it is susceptible tothe so-called edge loading, a situation in which the joints ball strikes against the cups edge and causes the implant parts to rub together and chisel off debris that releases microscopic ions of the heavy metals chromium and cobalt into the body, according to Parker McDonald P.C., who represents plaintiffs seeking remedies for medical issues arising from the failure of metal-on-metal hip implant devices. Metallosis, a reaction of the bodys immune system to heavy metals with potential negative effects on multiple organs and organ systems, could result from the elevated levels.
 
The five-year failure rate of this product was approximately 13 percent based on a study by the National Joint Registry (NJR) of England and Wales, or one in every eight patients receiving one of the hip implants, according tothe DePuys website. In its recall notice, DePuy had assured that it is committed to assisting patients and health care providers by providing information through multiple channels and paying for the cost of doctor visits, tests and procedures associated with the recall. The company further stated that it intends to cover reasonable and customary costs of monitoring and treatment for services, including revision surgeries, associated with the recall of ASR.
 
With 350 cases filed just last month alone, more and more recipients have opted to file a case against J&J despite the DePuy hip recall assurances. The total number of cases filed since January 2011 has grown to 1,700 with 700 of the cases filed in July and August same year. The realization that DePuys reimbursement plan will not provide them with all types of compensation they deserve, such as unquantifiable damages like pain and suffering and disruption to family life, has probably pushed these recipients press for compensatory claims.


References:
•    businessweek.com/news/2011-05-03/medical-groups-tracking-hip-knee-implants-after-j-j-recall.html
•    nytimes.com/2010/08/27/business/27hip.html
•    tga.gov.au/newsroom/btn-dupuy-recall.htm