Times Provides More Evidence That Metal-on-Metal Implants Cause Tissue Damage
Recently, the New York Times published an article on the dangers of metal-on-metal hip replacements. Titled, “Remedy Is Elusive as Metallic Hips Fail at Fast Rate,” the article discusses how all-metal hip replacements shed metal debris that damages tissues around the hip. DePuy Orthopaedics, and its parent Johnson & Johnson, initiated the DePuy hip recall, which covered the ASR XL Acetabular System and ASR Hip Resurfacing System in August 2010. Various bodies including the national joint registries of Australia and the United Kingdom determined that these hip replacements failed at high rates in recipients, and they caused metal toxicity, known as “metallosis” in medical literature.
“Chain Reaction” of Immune Response
The Times article also provided a graphic depicting the process by which the body attempts to clean away metal particles shed by hip replacements. All hip replacements shed some particles, such as plastic ones that weaken nearby bones, but metal-on-metal implants fare much worse. The bodies’ scavenger cells ingest the raw metal debris and transform it into metal ions. These ions chemically react with surrounding bodily tissues, which causes a “chain reaction” that intensifies the immune system’s response. In a few years, recipients can suffer tissue damage, bone loss, implant failure, metallosis and other hip replacement problems.
Surprisingly, medical training has not caught up to the problem, so recipients are seeking the aid of specialists. This is a difficult, time-intensive effort, and as specialists’ dockets fill up, the damage worsens. One doctor commented to the Times, “As surgeons here sliced through tissue surrounding a failed artificial hip in a 53-year-old man, they discovered what looked like a biological dead zone. There were matted strands of tissue stained gray and black; a large strip of muscle near the hip no longer contracted.”
RLG Helps DePuy Recipients Gain Compensation
Against the graphic description of metal poisoning in the Times, DePuy and Johnson & Johnson are only offering to reimburse recipients with the “reasonable and customary” costs of the recall. The amount of compensation from a hip replacement lawsuit might be higher than accepting DePuy’s offer because litigation allows damages for lost wages, pain and suffering, and all other medical costs. If you received a recalled DePuy hip, and you are interested in pursuing this route, the Rottenstein Law Group offers free, confidential legal consultations to people in your circumstances. All you have to do is click on this link or complete the form to the right and one of our attorneys will call you as soon as possible.