Johnson & Johnson subsidiary, DePuy Orthopaedics manufactured the ASR XL Acetabular System and the ASR Hip Resurfacing System-- both of which are hip replacement devices that was recently recalled in August 2010. Twelve to thirteen percent of the 93,000 recipients are approximated to have been affected by the recall. This means that about 11,000 patients need to undergo a risky and expensive second hip replacement procedure or what is called a revision surgery. Some symptoms associated with the defective devices are pain, swelling, dislocation, difficulty walking and even the more severe metallosis. Orthopedists even report that nerve damage is one of the complications recipients undergo. Presently, hundreds of DePuy lawsuits have already been filed and experts believe this number could reach thousands.
DePuy's problems seem to only get much worse. It was found out that another line of hip replacement device, called the Pinnacle Solution (also known as the Pinnacle Acetabular Cup System), has similar issues with the ASR devices. There were at least 500 Pinnacle-related complaints that were noted by the United States Food and Drugs Administration. These complaints report of basically the same complications as the ASRs inflict among recipients. As of present time, individuals who have received this type of hip replacement already filed for DePuy Pinnacle lawsuits.
It has not yet been revealed just how many Pinnacle devices were implanted and how many are affected by its flaws. Another recall may be in the works given the company's oversight in manufacturing secure and durable orthopedic devices. One of the responsibilities of companies such as DePuy is that they offer the public a product that is safe for public use. To compensate for losses DePuy recipients are made to go through, filing a hip recall lawsuit is highly recommended.
To learn more on the ongoing DePuy litigation and get some updates, you can visit the hip replacement recall information center.
