DePuy Pinnacle Hip Failure and Revision Surgery

As a DePuy ASR Recall and DePuy Pinnacle Replacement attorney, I have written extensively about the inherent problems associated with metal on metal hips like the DePuy ASR, Pinnacle hip replacement models and others made by Biomet, Zimmer, Smith and Nephew and Wright.

We are fielding calls from folks worried about what to do, when they are told by their physician that they need to undergo revision or replacement surgery after having one of the metal on metal hips implanted.

DePuy ASR and Pinnacle Replcement Surgery not Risk Free

According to experts, a study has found that hip and knee implant patients older than 60 have a higher risk of heart attacks following surgery than those the same age who do not have joint surgery.

According to the Chicago Tribune, a new study in the Archives of Internal Medicine (July 23, 2012), reports that hip and knee implant patients were almost 26 times more likely to have a heart attack during the two weeks after surgery.

The risk was still elevated fivefold in the third through sixth weeks of recovery after the operation. The study included records of 95,000 people from Denmark who had a hip or knee replaced and their counterparts who didn’t.

The study indicates that the risk of heart attack is attributed to the effects of undergoing a major surgery such as hip and knee replacement. According to the National Institutes of Health, side effects include the after effects of anesthesia, blood loss, irregular heartbeat and lack of oxygen, all of which are known to increase risk of heart attacks.

Metallosis and Cancer Risk

Medical studies have found metallosis, which is caused by cobalt and chromium in patients’ blood and surrounding tissue from metal fragments caused by metal-on-metal parts grinding against each other. British researchers have linked the shavings to an increased risk of cancer of the kidneys and bladder.

DePuy ASR Hip Recall Information

The DePuy ASR (Articular Surface Replacement) Hip Resurfacing System and ASR XL Acetabular System total hip replacement have been recalled by DePuy Orthopaedics in August, 2010, following data showing serious side effects as a result of the hip implant devices.

Before the recall, medical studies demonstrated painful and sometimes permanent side effects associated with the DePuy hip system, including:

Loose ASR cup
Allergic reaction to metallic debris
Pseudotumors (soft tissue mass that can form as a result of reactions to excess metallic debris)
Cobalt or chromium poisoning

Read more articles here

DePuy ASR Hip Lawsuits Filing Deadline Approaches Posted August 4, 2012,

DePuy ASR & Pinnacle Metal Hip Failure Problems Posted on July 13, 2012,

Stryker Rejuvenate Modular and ABG II Modular-Neck Hip Stems Recalled Posted July 10, 2012,

Biomet M2a Hip Lawsuits Heading to MDL Posted on July 7, 2012,

FDA: No Use for Metal-on-Metal Hips Posted June 30, 2012