Fort Worth Injury Lawyer Blog
Metal-on-metal hip replacement systems continue to receive criticism as experts across the world encourage doctors to stop using these defective systems. Due to the full metal design of these replacement systems, the implant is known to shed tiny pieces of metallic ions that lead to a high risk of causing permanent tissue, muscle and bone damage. Though all orthopedic implants shed debris after a few years, the metal-on-metal poses a much higher threat that can cause severe lifelong problems.
Recalls and lawsuits began piling up in August of 2010 after one of the most commonly used metal-on-metal hip replacement system was recalled. The DePuy ASR XL Acetabular was recalled due to unusually high rates of hip implant failure within only a few years of surgery. DePuy estimated the failure rate to be about 12-13 percent and was designed to last up to 15 years. However, results showed otherwise. Several patients ended up in constant pain resulting in several costly revision surgeries only a few years after the implant.
The decreasing use of metal-on-metal hip replacements has spread world wide. Recently, British experts at one of the world’s largest artificial joint registry’s have told doctors metal-on-metal hip replacements are prone to being fixed or replaced more often then other non metal-on-metal system. According to the Huffington Post, a recent study shows that “experts analyzed data for more than 400,000 hip replacements from the National Joint Registry of England and Wales between 2003 and 2011. More than 31,000 of those were metal-on-metal devices. After five years, about 6 percent of people with the metal-on-metal variety needed surgery to fix or replace them. That compares with just 1.7 to 2.3 percent of people who had ceramic or plastic joints.” (read full story)
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Patients are continuing to be informed by both health experts and doctors about the increased risks of metal-on-metal hip replacement systems. If you or a loved one have received a metal-on-metal hip replacement system and have suffered from severe side effects or the system has failed shortly after implantation, don’t hesitate to contact an attorney to discuss any legal compensation you may have. At Borchardt Law Firm, we have seen and dealt with many failed medical device cases and feel the work we do will continue to better protect future generations of Texans. Feel free to give us a call.
Toll Free: 866.832.9300
Phone: 817.332.9300
Fax: 817.332.9301
firm@attorneysmb.com
801 Cherry St #1005
Fort Worth, Texas 76102
Sources:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20120313/eu-med-bad-metal-hips/