All metal-on-metal hip replacement systems have been linked to dangerous complications, and DePuy’s ASR devices are no different. Like other widely-used metal-on-metal hip implants, ASR hips manufactured by DePuy Orthopaedics were designed to be more durable and last longer than their traditional plastic or ceramic counterparts. However, studies and adverse event reports submitted to the FDA have shown that all-metal devices can fail within just a few years of implantation, possibly resulting in the need for painful and complicated revision surgery. If you received a DePuy ASR hip implant and you have since suffered serious complications or required revision surgery, you may be entitled to financial compensation for your injuries and medical expenses. Contact a knowledgeable defective hip implant attorney to discuss your legal options.
A once-promising technology, metal-on-metal hip replacement systems have been plagued by reports of debilitating complications linked to their all-metal design, including premature failure, implant loosening, and metal ion poisoning occurring when the metal components of the implants rub against one another and release microscopic metal ions into the bloodstream and the tissue surrounding the implant. In August 2010, DePuy recalled its ASR Hip Resurfacing System and ASR XL Acetabular System after studies showed that the devices had higher-than-expected failure rates, and patients implanted with DePuy ASR hips began filing lawsuits against the manufacturer, alleging that they weren’t adequately warned about the potential for the hip implants to fail prematurely. The recall was at least partially influenced by data from a UK registry, which found that 13% of patients implanted with ASR implants experienced complications requiring revision surgery within just five years of implantation.
Extensive research has shown that the all-metal design of DePuy’s ASR hips made the devices prone to premature failure and other serious complications, namely metal ion poisoning, or metallosis.
DePuy’s Articular Surface Replacement (ASR) hip implant was approved by the FDA in 2005 via the agency’s 510(k) fast-track approval program, which allows manufacturers to bring their devices to market without conducting clinical trials, so long as the devices are “substantially equivalent” to products already on the market. Metal-on-metal implants like DePuy’s ASR hip use a metal ball that fits inside a metal socket to form an all-metal artificial hip joint, and the devices were developed as a more durable alternative to traditional hip implants, meant to last between 15 and 20 years after implantation. However, extensive research has shown that the all-metal design of DePuy’s ASR hips made the devices prone to premature failure and other serious complications, namely metal ion poisoning, or metallosis, which has been linked to bone and tissue death and loosening of the implant.
DePuy ASR lawsuits allege that:
Patients implanted with ASR hips began filing lawsuits against DePuy when their devices started failing far sooner than expected, forcing them to undergo additional surgeries to remove or replace the artificial hips. DePuy claimed that its ASR implants had lower revision rates, but lawsuits filed against the company claim that DePuy knew about the unexpectedly high rate of failure more than a year before the artificial hip devices were recalled in 2010. As a result of metal ion poisoning, implant loosening, premature failure and other hip implant complications requiring revision surgery, more than 10,000 ASR hip implant lawsuits were filed against DePuy in courts across the country. In the first of many DePuy ASR lawsuits brought against the manufacturer, a Los Angeles jury awarded $8.3 million in damages to a retired prison guard from Montana whose hip implant failed after just four years. According to the lawsuit, the premature failure was caused by metal debris that damaged the bone and tissue around the hip joint, causing the implant to loosen. To date, DePuy has agreed to pay as much as $4.4 billion to settle lawsuits over its ASR hip implants and juries across the country have also ordered DePuy to pay millions of dollars in compensation to plaintiffs in ASR lawsuits.
