DePuy Orthoapedics Inc., which is a subsidiary company of Johnson and Johnson, enforced a global pullback of their devices in August 2010. The two recalled implant designs have been manufactured and marketed since 2003. In February 2012, the British Medical Journal (BMJ) published an article authored by investigations editor Deborah Cohen emphasizing the inadequate premarket testing of metal-on-metal hip replacements received before being used by patients. In an unusual move due to the thousands of hip replacement lawsuits it faces, DePuy submitted a response to the BMJ metal-on-metal hip article.
An article about the risks of metal-on-metal hip replacement surgeries was earlier published on the New York Times. The article entitled “Remedy Is Elusive as Metallic Hips Fail at Fast Rate” presents how the operation injures the tissue in the hip area.
Some of the health dangers allegedly brought by DePuy hip replacement devices are additional hip replacement surgery, detachment of hip device from the bone, loosening of hip device, and cancer due to the presence of chromium and cobalt in the blood, unexplained hip pain, hip dislocation, metal toxicity (metallosis), pseudotumors, genetic damage (genotoxicty), tissue damages. bone fractures, and bone loss.
Mindy Tinsley, DePuy spokeswomen, says “we believe we made the appropriate decision to recall at the appropriate time given the available information.”
The symptoms of a defective hip implant are swelling, pain bearing weight, pain when rising from a seated position, pain while walking, pain on the thigh or groin area, and pain on the hip area.
More than 450,000 Americans, most with severe arthritis that limits their ability to walk, undergo a hip replacement each year. The devices, made of combinations of metals, polymers and ceramics, typically last more than a decade, but their failure rates rise beyond 10 years.
Other hip replacement device manufacturers include Zimmer Holdings Inc, Wright Medical Group Inc, and Smith & Nephew PLC.
As of March 31, 2011, Johnson and Johnson had committed $280 million to the recalls. The company also pledged to “address reasonable and customary costs associated with testing and treatment,” including new hips for those who need them. Legal professionals say that several clients have initiated a DePuy hip replacement lawsuit against Johnson and Johnson. They were among those affected by the failures and defects (e.g. fractures, displacements, loosening) of DePuy devices.
References:
An article about the risks of metal-on-metal hip replacement surgeries was earlier published on the New York Times. The article entitled “Remedy Is Elusive as Metallic Hips Fail at Fast Rate” presents how the operation injures the tissue in the hip area.
Some of the health dangers allegedly brought by DePuy hip replacement devices are additional hip replacement surgery, detachment of hip device from the bone, loosening of hip device, and cancer due to the presence of chromium and cobalt in the blood, unexplained hip pain, hip dislocation, metal toxicity (metallosis), pseudotumors, genetic damage (genotoxicty), tissue damages. bone fractures, and bone loss.
Mindy Tinsley, DePuy spokeswomen, says “we believe we made the appropriate decision to recall at the appropriate time given the available information.”
The symptoms of a defective hip implant are swelling, pain bearing weight, pain when rising from a seated position, pain while walking, pain on the thigh or groin area, and pain on the hip area.
More than 450,000 Americans, most with severe arthritis that limits their ability to walk, undergo a hip replacement each year. The devices, made of combinations of metals, polymers and ceramics, typically last more than a decade, but their failure rates rise beyond 10 years.
Other hip replacement device manufacturers include Zimmer Holdings Inc, Wright Medical Group Inc, and Smith & Nephew PLC.
As of March 31, 2011, Johnson and Johnson had committed $280 million to the recalls. The company also pledged to “address reasonable and customary costs associated with testing and treatment,” including new hips for those who need them. Legal professionals say that several clients have initiated a DePuy hip replacement lawsuit against Johnson and Johnson. They were among those affected by the failures and defects (e.g. fractures, displacements, loosening) of DePuy devices.
References:
- usrecallnews.com/2010/09/depuy-hip-replacement-recalled-asr-artificial-hip-systems.html
- nytimes.com/2010/08/27/business/27hip.html
- tga.gov.au/newsroom/btn-dupuy-recall.htm
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