Due to a failed metal-on-metal hip replacement,
another lawsuit has been pursued against a manufacturer. An article about the risks of metal-on-metal hip replacement surgeries was earlier published on the New York Times.
Particularly in the case of Johnson& Johnson, with approximately 93,000 recipients worldwide, the ASR XL Acetabular System and the ASR Hip Resurfacing System were recalled after data revealed that the devices had failed prematurely in one out of eight people who have them.
According to Dr. Stephen Graves, the director of the National Joint Replacement Registry in Australia, It is a complete untruth that DePuy did not have reason to withdraw the ASR before now; we have been telling them since 2007, but they allowed it to be used on thousands of people.
We believe we made the appropriate decision to recall at the appropriate time given the available information, states DePuy spokeswoman, Mindy Tinsley.
Transporting of microscopic metal parts into the body due to metal components rubbing against each other is one effect of design problems with metal-on-metal hip implant devices, like the DePuy. The presence of the metal parts may boost the amount of chromium and cobalt in the blood. This may cause metallosis (blood poisoning) and genotoxicity (genetic damage). Chromium and cobalt have also been linked to cancer, and might lead to the development of tumors.
Extreme cases happen wherein the hip products completely fail, resulting in more critical heath issues. This take place when:
the unit is dislocated and misaligned;
the device is not attached to the bone correctly; and
the bone around the implant is fractured.
The hip replacement recall definitely prodded the manufacturer to act on the need of the consumers to have safe medical treatments and medications. With the number of filed DePuy lawsuit increasing worldwide, DePuy should properly face the hip replacement problems encountered by its clients. It should circulate a wide range of information regarding malfunctioning hip replacement symptoms so that its patrons would be provided with due medical attention.
