Hip Replacements

Hip Replacements

Have you or a loved one experienced complications from a hip replacement procedure, such as constant pain, infection or bone deterioration? If so, you could be the victim of a defective hip implant and have a product liability case.

Metal-On-Metal Implant Injury Attorneys

A number of major medical device manufacturers have recently recalled their hip implant models that are “metal-on-metal,” meaning both the ball and the socket of the implant’s bearings are made of metal. The implant makers themselves have cited data showing metal-on-metal implants fail more frequently than non-metal-on-metal implants, necessitating second (or third) hip replacement procedures.

• Smith & Nephew’s R3 Acetabular System
• Zimmer’s Acetabular Component (Durom Cup)
• DePuy’s ASR XL Acetabular System (Recalled)
• DePuy Pinnacle Acetabular System

Metal-on-metal implants’ high failure rate is certainly a serious concern, but just as alarming, are the potential effects of faulty implants which the devices’ manufacturers have thus far refused to acknowledge.

For instance, in metal-on-metal implants, the rubbing of the ball and socket can cause cobalt corrosion. This, in turn, causes metal particles to enter the bloodstream, and can result in metallosis (metal poisoning). Metallosis can have severe impacts, such as:

• Metal particles in the bloodstream induce an immune-system reaction that has the
  potential to cause infection of soft tissue and bone surrounding the implant—and
  even “death” of this tissue.
• Studies have shown metallosis can lead to early-onset osteolysis, a condition in which
  the body starts re-absorbing living bone tissue, resulting in bone deterioration.
• The cobalt corrosion metal-on-metal implants might even be a cancer risk: according
  to the International Agency for Research on Cancer, cobalt is a possible carcinogen.

As this list of impacts grows, so does the number of patients who have been—or could eventually be—harmed; the count is already in the tens of thousands.

Speak To A Product Liability Attorney

Concerned you or someone you care about might be among them? Contact Hodes Milman Ikuta for a free case evaluation.