Another defect found on a metal-on-metal hip replacement eventually leads to litigation against a manufacturer. The New York Times published an article earlier on the dangers of metal-on-metal hip replacements.
Particularly in the case of Johnson& Johnson, with approximately 93,000 recipients worldwide, the ASR XL Acetabular System and the ASR Hip Resurfacing System were recalled after data revealed that the devices had failed prematurely in one out of eight people who have them.
The Director of the National Joint Replacement Registry in Australia, Dr. Stephen Graves, says “It is a complete untruth that DePuy did not have reason to withdraw the ASR before now; we have been telling them since 2007, but they allowed it to be used on thousands of people.”
Mindy Tinsley, DePuy spokeswomen, says “We believe we made the appropriate decision to recall at the appropriate time given the available information.”
Transporting of microscopic metal parts into the body due to metal components rubbing against each other is one effect of design problems with metal-on-metal hip implant devices, like the DePuy. The metal particles shed from metal-on-metal hip replacement implants may increase the amount of some metals in the blood, such as chromium and cobalt. This may lead to metallosis, a type of blood poisoning, and genotoxicity, which is genetic damage. Chromium and cobalt have also been linked to cancer, and might lead to the development of tumors.
In worse cases, complete failure of hip devices happen, resulting in more serious health problems. This happens when:
- · the unit is dislocated and misaligned;
- · the device is not attached to the bone correctly; and
- · the bone around the implant is fractured.
The hip replacement recall positively urged the manufacturer to make an action on the need of the public for safe medical services and products. With DePuy lawsuit and claims for compensation piling up globally, DePuy should pay attention to these hip replacement problems experienced by its patients. It needs to disseminate more information about defective hip replacement symptoms so that the patients would be given immediate medical attention.
References:
- bloomberg.com/news/2010-09-03/johnson-johnson-sued-over-recalled-implanted-hip-replacement-devices.html
- arthritistoday.org/news/asr-depuy-hip-replacement-recall078.php
- nursinghomesabuseblog.com/defective-products/defects-with-depuy-hip-replacement-hardware-may-be-responsible-for-complications-following-hip-surgury/
- internalmedicinenews.com/news/rheumatology-immunology/single-article/rigorous-exercise-may-delay-hip-replacement/e680cecb64.html
- orthopedics.about.com/od/arthritis/p/exercise.htm
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