In August, 2010, DePuy Orthopaedics, a division of Johnson & Johnson, announced a voluntary recall of two of their hip implant systems. The ASRTM XL Acetabular Hip System and the ASRTM Hip Resurfacing System were both subject to this voluntary recall.
The ASRTM Hip Systems first became available to the public in July, 2003. Since that time, an estimated 93,000 ASRTM Hip System devices have been implanted worldwide.
DePuy issued the voluntary recall after receiving data from the 2010 National Joint Registry of England and Wales which reported approximately 1 in 8, or around 12%, of persons who received an ASRTM Hip System required a second corrective procedure, called a revision surgery, within five (5) years of receiving their ASRTM implant. According to a recent article in Arthritis Today, this failure rate appears to be about twice the industry standard. Further, medical centers that specialize in joint replacement surgery have noted a higher failure rate with DePuy Hip implants per Dr. Joshua Jacobs, Chairman for orthopedic surgery at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. Click to read more.
Symptoms of a defective implant include hip, thigh or groin pain, swelling around the hip joint, pain when rising from a seated position, pain when standing, audible "popping" while walking, fracture of bone around implant site, loosening of the implant, dislocation of the implant and pain while walking. If the implant is defective, revision surgery may be necessary. Revision surgery costs around $20,800 or about $4,000 more than the original implant. These surgeries are technically more difficult and take longer to complete than the initial surgery. Further, the patient is at an increased risk for complications after a revision surgery and the recovery time is more prolonged. Unfortunately, these implants tend not to fit as well as the initial implants.
The workers' compensation attorneys at Lewis & Roberts include: Kimberley Wilson and William J. Blakemore.
If you are concerned that your ASRTM implant is defective, please contact your orthopaedic surgeon. Your physician can perform blood tests to check for signs of microscopic metal particles around the implant. These particles can be a sign of abnormal wear of the implant.
If you or a loved one has used received a ASRTM XL Acetabular Hip System or the ASRTM Hip Resurfacing System implant, please contact our office for a free legal consultation.
