Metal On Metal Hip Replacement Recalls, Lawsuits, Settlements & Problems
In trial after trial, the DePuy Pinnacle Hip Replacement has been shown to be one of the most defective and dangerous medical devices on the market. It has failed so many times and caused so much damage that it’s incredible to believe that it ever received FDA approval. Depuy Pinnacle Hip Info
the Stryker Rejuvenate has six “stems” and 16 “necks,” which means that it can be adjusted to suit the needs of the body of each person in whom it is implanted, and that it permits a greater range of motion. At least, that was the idea. Stryker Rejuvenate Info
On the surface – and we mean that literally – the Stryker ABG II hip replacement device looks like it might be a good alternative to the potentially hazardous metal-on-metal devices. Why? Because, superficially, it looks like the parts that rub up against each other in this device are plastic and ceramic, not metal. Stryker ABG II Info
In designing the Accolade hip replacement device, the decision-makers at Stryker developed and employed a proprietary titanium alloy that was supposed to reduce the likelihood of fine metal particulates being released into the blood. Stryker Acccolade Hip Info
In the case of the Stryker V40 Femoral Head, you’re even less likely to know whether or not you have it. The Stryker V40 Femoral Head is a component of a hip-replacement device, not an entire device unto itself. The V40 is a metal piece that replaces the ball joint at the top of the femur, and it’s designed to work with other Stryker hip devices, such as the Accolade. Stryker v40 Hip Info
The Zimmer Durom Cup was designed for younger, “active” people who happened to require hip replacement. Yet, in many cases, it has rendered those people less active than they were before. Zimmer Durom Cup Hip Info
In November 2016, Wright Medical Technology – a major manufacturer of hip replacement devices – agreed to pay out $240 million to settle nearly 1300 formal lawsuits concerning its Conserve, Lineage, and Dynasty models. Wright Dynasty Hip Info
The folks in the marketing department at Wright Medical Group, Inc., surely thought they were evoking safety and security when came up with the name “Conserve.” How wrong they turned out to be. Wright Conserve Hip Info
The Encore Hip Replacement is a metal-on-metal device, which means that both the ball and the socket of the artificial hip joint are constructed of metal. When you move your leg, the ball rotates in the socket. Metal rubs against metal, and that creates friction. That friction, in turn, releases tiny fragments of metal into your bloodstream. Encore Hip Replacement Info
In the Smith & Nephew Birmingham Hip Resurfacing system, the top end of the femur is lopped off and replaced with a rounded metal joint; and any damaged bone and cartilage in the pelvis is ground down and replaced with a metal “cup.” Most of the femur and most of the pelvis are left intact. Smith & Nephew Birmingham Hip Info
Not so hip
Hip replacement is one of the most frequently performed surgeries in the U.S. – nearly 250,000 surgeries every year. Surgeons have gotten so good at this surgery that, for many patients, recovery time is minimal, and full motion returns to the hip in short order.
It’s not the surgeons to blame for the thousands upon thousands of health complications that have been linked to hip replacement operation.
Faulty devices are the problem.
If you’ve had your hip replaced, and you’ve been suffering from pain, inflammation, restricted motion, or any of several other health problems, read on to see how TheLawFirm.com can help you.
Ball and socket
You might remember from seventh-grade health class that the human hip is a ball-and-socket joint. Such a joint consists of a rounded piece of bone (the ball) that fits inside a cup (the socket) so that the ball may rotate within the socket with a high degree of freedom and flexibility. It’s exactly the kind of joint used in most automotive suspension systems, and it’s one of Mother Nature’s most extraordinary accomplishments.
But, like all bone-on-bone contact points, the hip joint can wear down. Either the rounded top of the femur or the cup inside the pelvis can wear away from years of use. That’s when doctors recommend hip replacement.
Hip replacements come in several varieties:
• metal ball / polyethylene socket
• ceramic ball / polyethylene socket
• ceramic ball / ceramic socket
• ceramic ball / metal socket
(Polyethylene is a dense, strong, firm, versatile plastic that feels waxy to the touch. It’s the most common type of plastic – you use it every day in the form of garbage bins, bottles, bags, buckets, toys, cables, and many other products.)
All of the hip replacement devices above are generally safe and effective.
Metal on metal
But there’s one kind of hip replacement device that has been, for hundreds of thousands of people, the source of pain, suffering, infection, and even additional surgeries: metal-on-metal.
When hip replacement devices have metal balls and metal sockets, they can – and do – cause serious health complications, including but not limited to:
• severe pain – even when the hip is not moving
• swelling and inflammation
• dislocation of the implant
• bone deterioration
• muscle and tendon breakdown
• a dangerous toxic condition called metallosis
• other forms of poisoning
These and other hip-replacement complications sometimes require further surgery to correct.
Metal-on-metal hip replacements are dangerous. Yet nearly a third of all hip replacement surgeries employ metal-on-metal devices.
Despite warnings from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and thousands of lawsuits, metal-on-metal hip replacements are still on the market, and are still being used in hip replacement surgeries.
Too many devices
The hip-replacement market is a crowded market: there are dozens of metal-on-metal hip replacement devices out there, and each of them poses slightly different hazards.
If you don’t know which type of metal-on-metal hip replacement you have, contact your doctor. Then, review our site to learn more about the specific problems associated with your model.
TheLawFirm.com filed our first metal-on-metal hip replacement lawsuit in 2012, and we have continued to work on these cases every day. We are experts in hip-replacement law, and we can help you get the financial compensation to which you may be entitled.
We would be proud to advocate for your health in court.
Contact us anytime for a free consultation.
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