Smith & Nephew Birmingham Hip Resurfacing Lawsuit Update

The U.S. District Judge Blake who is presiding over all federal Smith & Nephew Birmingham hip lawsuits has allowed the federal litigation to include cases involving any component approved as part of the hip resurfacing system, and when it was used as part of a total hip replacement.

In May 2017, the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation centralized and consolidated all personal injury and product liability lawsuits involving failures with the Smith & Nephew Birmingham Hip Resurfacing (BHR) system before Judge Catherine C. Blake in the District of Maryland.

Over 400 BHR Lawsuit claims

There are more than 400 hip injury cases pending in the federal multidistrict litigation (MDL), with similar allegations that the metal-on-metal hip resurfacing and replacement designs are defective and subject to early failure, causing pseudotumors, and metallosis and often requiring painful revision surgery to have them removed and replaced.

All of the lawsuits allege that Smith & Nephew knowingly sold the defective BHR implant and then tried to cover up signs of defectives.

What is a Metal on Metal hip implant?

Metal-on-Metal (MoM) hip implants consist of a ball, stem and shell, all made of metal materials. Metal-on-metal resurfacing hip systems consist of a surgically trimmed femoral head capped with a metal covering.

MoM hip implants were supposed to offer less device material wear, lower chance of hip dislocation and a lower chance of device fracture. But that was not true.

What is the problem with Metal on Metal hips?

Unfortunately, all of the MoM hip manufacturers have been plagued with a catastrophic defective design, in that there are two or more articulation points where the metal components can grind against each other.

This grinding action causes the release of toxic metal debris of cobalt, chromium, and titanium, which are the alloys the metal hip implant is usually made from. Metallosis occurs when the microscopic metal particles are released into the bloodstream causing an elevation of cobalt and chromium blood levels.

All of the major MOM manufacturers have faced personal injury and product liability claims over their defective design. Including DePuy ASR, DePuy Pinnacle (made by the medical device giant Johnson & Johnson), Zimmer Durom Cup, Biomet m2A Magnum, Stryker Rejuvenate/ABG II, Encore, Wright Conserve to name a few.

Smith and Nephew Birmingham Hip

The Birmingham Hip Resurfacing System was claimed to be a conservative approach to hip replacement in which an all-metal bearing joint is used to preserve, rather than replace, a patient’s femoral head and neck.

BHR System was approved for use in the United States by the Food and Drug Administration in 2006. Since its introduction, there have been over 175,000 BHR implantations worldwide.

Smith & Nephew is the latest hip replacement maker to face lawsuits over defective design resulting in personal injury. Smith & Nephew issued a field-safety notice on its BHR implants in 2015, saying the implants had a higher risk of dislocation, fractures and premature failure that needed surgery to correct.

In addition, the UK-based company recalled its R3 Acetabular Hip Systems in 2012 and its Modular SMF and Modular Redapt Revision in 2016, over serious complications.

Federal BHR Multidistrict Litigation

If you think you may have Smith & Nephew Birmingham Resurfacing metal hip device and are experiencing pain caused by metal corrosion or have suffered premature hip failure requiring full revision and emergency care, please call Dr. Shezad Malik Law Firm at 888-210-9693.