DePuy Pinnacle Hip

Artificial hip implants manufactured by DePuy Orthopaedics, like the Pinnacle hip system, are failing far sooner than expected and many of the problems patients are experiencing appear to stem from the metal-on-metal design of the Pinnacle implant and other similar artificial hip devices. According to patient reports and a growing body of research, DePuy’s Pinnacle hip and other metal-on-metal hip implants may be prone to premature failure due to the potential for the metal implant components to rub against one another and release microscopic metal debris into the bloodstream and the tissue surrounding the implant. If you were implanted with a DePuy Pinnacle hip, and you have since suffered complications like metal ion poisoning or premature failure of the implant, contact a knowledgeable product liability lawyer today to discuss your options for legal recourse.

History of the DePuy Pinnacle Hip

Since metal-on-metal hip implants were first brought to market in the United States, the devices have been marketed as safer and more durable alternatives to the traditional plastic or ceramic implants. However, serious concerns have been raised in recent years about the safety of all-metal hip implants like the Pinnacle device, which have been linked to reports of metal ion poisoning, implant loosening, premature device failure and other complications resulting in the need for risky revision surgery. And according to studies, hip replacement patients who undergo revision surgery to remove or replace a failed implant are nearly four times more likely to experience hip dislocation and other complications than those who don’t. In 2010, amid a growing number of adverse event reports involving its ASR hip implant, DePuy recalled the metal-on-metal device, citing a higher-than-expected rate of failure. The company never recalled its Pinnacle device, but eventually phased out production of both metal-on-metal hip implants.

Side Effects of the DePuy Pinnacle Hip

Device dislocation
Implant loosening
Device fracture
Premature failure
Inflammation
Tissue damage
Bone loss
Pseudotumors

Infections
Loss of mobility
Swelling
Corrosion
Chronic pain
Metallosis (metal ion poisoning)
Need for revision surgery

Juries awarded $502 million in damages in a Pinnacle lawsuit in March 2016 (later reduced to $151 million under state law and eventually overturned on appeal), $1 billion in December 2016 (later reduced to $542 million under state law), and $247 million in November 2017.

Side Effects of the DePuy Pinnacle Hip

Device dislocation
Implant loosening
Device fracture
Premature failure
Inflammation
Tissue damage
Bone loss
Pseudotumors

Infections
Loss of mobility
Swelling
Corrosion
Chronic pain
Metallosis (metal ion poisoning)
Need for revision surgery

What is the DePuy Pinnacle Hip?

The DePuy Pinnacle hip is a modular cup system made from titanium and cobalt designed to allow the body to form lubrication between surfaces, which “enhances performance with smooth, natural motion and less friction.” Unfortunately, like many other potentially dangerous medical devices still on the market, DePuy’s Pinnacle hip was approved via the FDA’s 510(k) fast-track approval process, which allows manufacturers to bring new devices to market without conducting safety testing, so long as they are “substantially equivalent” to products already on the market. And because of its metal-on-metal design, the Pinnacle hip, like other metal-on-metal hip implants brought to market before it, may put recipients at greater risk for severe pain, device dislocation, premature failure and other serious complications.

How a DePuy Pinnacle Lawsuit Can Help

DePuy Pinnacle hip implant lawsuits allege that:

DePuy manufactured a defective medical device
The company failed to adequately test the safety of its Pinnacle hip implant before submitting it to the FDA for approval
DePuy knew or should have known about problems with its metal-on-metal hip implants, but continued to market them as safe and effective
The company put patients at an unnecessary risk of serious complications from the defective Pinnacle hip implant

DePuy Pinnacle Hip Lawsuit Information

Thousands of people have already filed lawsuits over injuries from DePuy’s Pinnacle and ASR hip implants, and verdicts and settlements in the DePuy hip implant litigation total more than $6 billion. In 2011, the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation combined all Depuy Pinnacle hip implant lawsuits filed in federal courts across the country into a multidistrict litigation (MDL) in Texas. Several Pinnacle lawsuits have already gone to trial and plaintiffs in the Pinnacle hip implant litigation have fared rather well so far. For example, juries awarded $502 million in damages in a Pinnacle lawsuit in March 2016 (later reduced to $151 million under state law and eventually overturned on appeal), $1 billion in December 2016 (later reduced to $542 million under state law), and $247 million in November 2017.