DePuy Hip Revision Surgery Lawsuit: 5 Things You Need to Know
Attorney Fred Pritzker 
Attorney David Szerlag and I are representing several people just like you who have had DePuy hip revision surgery or will need it in the future. These cases involve the DePuy ASR™ XL Acetabular System, manufactured by DePuy Orthopaedics, Inc. (DePuy), a company owned by Johnson & Johnson (J&J).
Below are 5 Things you need to know about your DePuy hip revision surgery lawsuit:
- You have claims against DePuy J&J if your DePuy ASR has failed or is failing. Legal claims for money damages in these cases generally include strict liability, breach of contract and negligence. These claims are listed in the the legal document used to file a lawsuit against the companies.
- You are not alone. Thousands of people have had to have revision surgery, and you can join them now to make sure DePuy and Johnson & Johnson are held accountable.
- Your case deserves individual attention. Your legal claims may be similar to those of other DePuy hip victims, but you are a unique person. The amount of money you ask for in a DePuy lawsuit should reflect your specific circumstances. This requires an attorney who takes the time to get to know you.
- DePuy hip revision surgery cases have been consolidated in multidistrict litigation (MDL). This means that the pretrial proceedings (gathering of evidence and pretrial motions) have been consolidated. MDL is not a class action lawsuit, however. Your hip lawsuit against J&J and DePuy remains separate for trial purposes.
- Your lawsuit should seek compensation for future expenses, losses and pain. How much money will you have to spend in the future because of the defective DePuy hip? Will you be able to keep your job? Will you suffer physical pain after the revision surgery? Will you have to give up a hobby or change your life in other ways? All of these questions need to be answered to determine what your case is worth.
Your case matters to me and my litigation team.
Get your free case review today.Attorneys Fred Pritzker and David Szerlag recently won over $20 million for people injured by another medical product. They represent clients throughout the United States. The main law firm offices are located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. David has offices in Boston, MA and Providence, RI.
States and cities where patients may reside include the following: New York City, Los Angeles, CA, San Diego, San Francisco, Sacramento, Chicago, IL, Houston, TX, Dallas, Austin, Phoenix, AR, Philadelphia, PA, Detroit, MI, Baltimore, MD, Denver, CO, Nashville, TN, Milwaukee, WI, Washington D.C., Las Vegas, NV, Portland, Oregon, Atlanta, GA, Omaha, NE, Virginia Beach, Cleveland, Ohio, Dayton, Cincinnati, Wichita, KS, St. Louis, MO, New Orleans, LA, Bismarck, ND, Sioux Falls, SD, Des Moines, IA, Newark, NJ, Hartford, Connecticut, Manchester, New Hampshire, Duluth, Moorhead, Brainerd, Mankato.
DePuy Hip Recall: Attorneys Licensed in IA, MA, MN and RI
Our attorneys have filed DePuy hip recall lawsuits against Johnson & Johnson and DePuy Orthopaedics. Attorney David Szerlag, lead attorney for our DePuy cases, is licensed in Massachusetts, Minnesota and Rhode Island. David recently won over $20 million for clients injured by another medical product.
Attorney Elliot Olsen is licensed to practice law in Minnesota and Iowa. He is on the DePuy litigation team and focuses on product liability and medical malpractice issues.
DePuy Hip Recall Investigation
Attorney David Szerlag and his team are investigating the facts surrounding the DePuy recall for our clients. One of the issues is the timing of the recall, which came months after reports of early failure of the DePuy ASR™ XL Acetabular System and cases of chromium and cobalt poisoning. The recall involved sending information to surgeons telling them not to implant DePuy ASR hip replacements and to return any unused implants to the manufacturer.
Our DePuy hip recall investigation is uncovering evidence to prove that DePuy’s ASR XL Acetabular Hip System, a device used in hip replacement surgery, was defectively designed and/or manufactured, and that DePuy failed to provide adequate warnings concerning the device, which DePuy recalled in August 2010.
Attorney David Szerlag and his team are available for a free consultation to DePuy hip patients in Iowa, Massachusetts, Minnesota and Rhode Island. All patients, even those with no current pain or other symptoms of device failure, should contact our lawyers now.
Metal-on-Metal Hip Replacements Subject of FDA Expert Advisory Panel Meeting
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is seeking expert scientific and clinical advice on the risks and benefits of metal-on-metal (MoM) hip systems for an expert advisory panel meeting scheduled for June 27-28, 2012. The issue is whether to make MoM hip systems subject to more rigorous testing and premarket review requirements.
There are two categories of MoM hip systems:
- Metal-on-metal total hip replacement systems consisting of a metal ball (femoral head), a metal femoral stem in the thighbone, and a metal cup in the hip bone (acetabular component).
- Metal-on-metal hip resurfacing systems consisting of a trimmed femoral head capped with a metal covering and a metal cup in the hip bone (acetabular component).
The reason for the increased concern regarding metal-on-metal hip systems is that some studies have found that these MoM hip systems may be subject to early failure and, related to this, that they may cause dangerous levels of metal ion concentrations in the bloodstream (chromium and cobalt poisoning). In May 2011, the agency issued an order for manufacturers of MoM hip systems to conduct post-market surveillance studies to collect more safety data on these devices, including data related to metal ion concentrations in the bloodstream.
Experts on the FDA’s expert advisory panel will discuss:
- Failure rates and modes of failure, including whether larger metal heads put patients at greater risk;
- Chromium and cobalt ion testing;
- Imaging methods;
- Local and systemic complications, including organ failure and tissue death;
- Patient risk factors;and
- Considerations for follow-up after surgery.
Attorney David Szerlag is lead attorney for our metal-on-metal hip replacement lawsuits. He and his litigation team are representing several people who had DePuy ASR™ XL Acetabular System hip replacements implanted in their bodies, which then failed, causing severe pain, chromium and cobalt poisoning, tissue necrosis (tissue death), and other serious medical complications. To contact David, call 888-377-8900 or submit our free consultation form.
Metal-on-Metal Hip Pain Leads to Revision Surgery and Legal Action
Contact our attorneys for a free review of your metal-on-metal hip case.
Terri Wagner-Morley told the Star-Tribune that the new hip she had implanted to ease her chronic arthritis pain in 2008 started to cause her pain in 2009 and was later surgically removed, a procedure called revision surgery. He artificial hip was a DePuy metal-on-metal ASR hip, which was recalled in 2010.
Ms. Wagner-Morley is not alone. Her case is just one of thousands involving a metal-on-metal hip implant that failed years before it was supposed to. DePuy Orthopaedics, Inc. recalled its ASR™ XL Acetabular System, and we expect that other manufacturers of metal-on-metal hip replacement systems will follow.
Problems with the metal-on-metal hip implants reported to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) include the following:
- loosening of the hip
- inflammation in the tissues around the hip
- dislocation
- cobalt and chromium ions in the bloodstream, resulting in cobalt and chromium poisoning.
Cobalt Poisoning Symptoms and DePuy ASR Hip Revision Surgery
Cobalt poisoning is a risk for patients with DePuy ASR™ XL Acetabular System total hip replacements. Cobalt is a metal alloy used to make the DePuy ASR artificial hips. When the metal parts of the DePuy ASR rub together, it causes metal corrosion and releases cobalt (and chromium) ions into the blood. The build up of cobalt can cause cobalt poisoning, also referred to as cobalt toxicity.
As cobalt builds up, the symptoms become more serious. Symptoms of cobalt poisoning include the following:
Pain (by the time there is pain, tissue may already be dead)
Visual impairment (in some cases, blindness)
Cardiomyopathy (possible heart failure)
Cognitive impairment (memory loss, slow cognition)
Hearing loss (tinnitus, deafness)
Diminished coordination
Hypothyroidism
Headaches
Irritability
Anxiety
Rashes
Hip creaking
Hand tremor
Lack of energy (listlessness)
Some patients who waited for pain before having revision surgery (surgery to replace the DePuy ASR hip), are finding they have permanent damage, including necrosis (death) of the tissue around the implant. In addition, although removal of the DePuy ASR hip implant may provide relief for some of the symptoms above, some patients are finding that vision loss and other complications continue to be an issue.
You may be damaging your health by waiting to get hip revision surgery. Contact Attorneys Fred Pritzker and David Szerlag for information regarding a DePuy hip revision lawsuit.
Our law firm is representing DePuy ASR hip patients throughout the United States, including Minneapolis and Duluth, Minnesota and Fargo, North Dakota.
