The study is just the latest to highlight the dangers associated with metal-on-metal hip replacements.
New York, New York (PRWEB) February 20, 2013
As DePuy Pinnacle hip replacement lawsuits continue to move forward in federal court, a study is again raising questions about the safety of metal-on-metal hip implants, Bernstein Liebhard LLP reports. The new research, published online Monday in JAMA Internal Medicine, found that women were 29% more likely than men to need revision surgery within the first three years of receiving a hip replacement, regardless of the type of hip. The same study also found that metal-on-metal hips are twice as likely to fail in women compared to men. The study, which was funded by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA), involved data on more than 35,000 surgeries at 46 hospitals in the Kaiser Permanente health system.*
“We continue to hear from DePuy Pinnacle hip patients, as well as recipients of other all metal hips, who’ve suffered debilitating complications as a result of implant failure. The study is just the latest to highlight the dangers associated with metal-on-metal hip replacements,” says Bernstein Liebhard LLP, a nationwide law firm representing clients in hip replacement lawsuits involving the all-metal Pinnacle hip system. Firm partner Jeffrey S. Grand serves on the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee in the federal DePuy Pinnacle litigation now underway in U.S. District Court, Northern District of Texas. (In re: DePuy Orthopaedics, Inc. Pinnacle Hip Implant Products Liability Litigation - MDL No. 2244)
DePuy Pinnacle Hip Replacement Lawsuits
Court documents indicate that Johnson & Johnson and its DePuy Orthopaedics units are facing more than 3,000 hip replacement lawsuits in the Northern District of Texas involving an all-metal version of the Pinnacle system that utilizes the Ultamet liner. Plaintiffs allege the metal-on-metal Pinnacle hip is prone to wear and can shed dangerous amounts of metal debris, leading to implant failure, metallosis and other debilitating complications. They further allege the device suffers from the same design flaws that prompted the 2010 recall of DePuy ASR hip implants. The DePuy Pinnacle litigation’s first trials are scheduled to begin in September 2014.
The FDA is currently reviewing the safety of metal-on-metal hip implants like the Pinnacle, in which the ball and cup consist of a chromium-cobalt alloy. Last month, the agency proposed an order that would make these devices ineligible for 510(K) clearance, which allowed such implants to come to market with no human testing. The FDA has also recommended that doctors consider metal ion testing for all-metal hip replacement patients who are experiencing symptoms of a failing implant, including pain, swelling, loosening of the implant, or change in the ability to walk.**
Victims of alleged metal-on-metal hip implant injuries may file lawsuits against the devices’ manufacturers to seek compensation for their injuries. In addition to DePuy Pinnacle hip replacement lawsuits, the lawyers at Bernstein Liebhard LLP are actively filing claims on behalf of people allegedly injured by the DePuy ASR hip implant. Bernstein Liebhard LLP is also closely following developments in the July 2012 Stryker Rejuvenate recall and June 2012 Smith & Nephew metal liner recall. In addition, the firm continues to investigate cases concerning the Biomet M2a Magnum hip implant, as well as Wright Profemur and Conserve metal hip implants.
Bernstein Liebhard LLP is offering free lawsuit consultations to anyone injured as a result of a DePuy Pinnacle hip implant or other metal-on-metal hip replacement device. Individuals who have experienced failure of their implant, metallosis, pain, or revision surgery may be entitled to compensation for their medical care, pain and suffering, and other damages. A wealth of information about DePuy Pinnacle hip replacement lawsuits, as well as the issues surrounding metal-on-metal hip implants in general is available at Bernstein Liebhard’s website, http://www.consumerinjurylawyers.com. For additional information, please call one of our attorneys at 1-877-779-1414 today.
*archinte.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1653996
**fda.gov/MedicalDevices/ProductsandMedicalProcedures/ImplantsandProsthetics/MetalonMetalHipImplants/ucm241604.htm
About Bernstein Liebhard LLP
Bernstein Liebhard LLP is a New York-based law firm exclusively representing injured persons in complex individual and class action lawsuits nationwide since 1993, including those who have been harmed by dangerous drugs, defective medical devices and consumer products. The firm has been named by The National Law Journal to the “Plaintiffs’ Hot List,” recognizing the top plaintiffs’ firms in the country, for the past 10 consecutive years.
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