Metal-on-metal hip implants like the Wright Dynasty Acetabular Cup system were designed to last between 15 and 20 years, but these devices are failing earlier and at a higher rate than expected, resulting in a growing number of hip implant lawsuits being brought against the manufacturers of these failed medical devices. According to the FDA, the potential complications associated with faulty all-metal hip implants include metal ion poisoning, soft tissue reactions, swelling and other debilitating problems possibly requiring revision surgery. Product liability lawyers across the country are now investigating claims on behalf of patients who were injured after being implanted with metal-on-metal devices like the Wright Dynasty hip. If you or a loved one has suffered injuries from a Wright Dynasty hip implant, contact a knowledgeable defective hip implant attorney today to discuss your legal options.
The Wright Dynasty hip implant was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2009, and in the years since, a growing body of research has uncovered fundamental flaws in the design of metal-on-metal hips that may make them prone to premature failure and other devastating complications. In 2012, a study of 80 patients who underwent revision surgery to remove failed all-metal hip implants found that 78% of the study participants required the corrective surgery within just two years of the original implantation and a whopping 98% needed their hip implants removed within three years. In light of mounting concerns about the safety of metal-on-metal hips, many such hip implants have been subjected to recalls and thousands of lawsuits have been filed against the manufacturers by hip implant recipients who suffered injuries as a result of defective artificial hips. In 2011, the FDA ordered the makers of metal-on-metal hip implants to begin tracking problems with the medical devices in an attempt to curb the rate of problems from failed implants.
In 2012, a study of 80 patients who underwent revision surgery to remove failed all-metal hip implants found that 78% of the study participants required the corrective surgery within just two years of the original implantation, and a whopping 98% needed their hip implants removed within three years.
The Wright Dynasty Acetabular hip implant is a modular cup system designed to accommodate large diameter femoral heads, such as the BFH CoCr heads and BCH large diameter ceramic heads. When used with a metal femoral head, the Dynasty device becomes a metal-on-metal hip replacement system, a device design that has been plagued by reports of adverse local tissue reactions, metal ion poisoning and premature device failure. According to reports, in metal-on-metal hip implants, the ball and cup components can rub against one another during normal use, causing tiny metal fragments to be released into the bloodstream, which can lead to metal ion poisoning and other debilitating complications. The FDA warns, “Over time, the metal particles around some implants can cause damage to bone and/or tissue surrounding the implant and joint […] sometimes referred to as an ‘adverse local tissue reaction (ALTR)’ or an ‘adverse reaction to metal debris (ARMD).’ Soft tissue damage [such as this] may lead to pain, implant loosening, device failure, and the need for revision surgery.”
Compensation from a Wright Dynasty hip implant lawsuit can help cover the cost of:
In recent years, metal-on-metal hip implants have been tied to serious complications like premature failure, metal ion poisoning and other problems, many of which may require painful revision surgery to remove or replace the faulty device. Individuals who suffered injuries after being implanted with Dynasty hips filed product liability lawsuits against Wright Medical and in 2012, the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML) consolidated all federal lawsuits involving the Wright Dynasty, Conserve, ProFemur and Lineage devices into a multidistrict litigation (MDL) in Georgia. In November 2016 and October 2017, respectively, Wright agreed to pay $240 million and $90 million to settle close to 2,000 claims involving its hip implants. And while Wright Medical no longer makes hip replacements – it sold off that part of its business to MicroPort Medical in 2013 – the company is still responsible for any defective hip devices manufactured prior to 2013, and for some models MicroPort continued to make for a time after the sale.
