DePuy ASR Hip Recall Leads to Revision Surgery and Potential Lawsuits

By Thomas Greer | January 26, 2015

On August 26, 2010, DePuy Orthopaedics, Inc. announced the recall of its ASR Hip Replacement. The products which are subject to the recall include both the ASR XL Acetabular System and the ASR Hip Resurfacing System. These medical devices have been used in patients since 2005. The attorneys at Bailey & Greer offer a free case evaluation for anyone implanted with a device involved in the DePuy hip recall.

DePuy ASR Hip Defect Known for Years

Prior to the recall in 2010, there had been several published articles that detailed the design problems with the product.  The FDA received hundreds of Adverse Event Reports to confirm what the studies showed.  Even before the recall, DePuy removed these hip replacement products from the market in Australia in 2009 and issued an alert in the UK in May, 2010.

What is Defective about the Product?

These particular hip implants suffer from a serious design flaw.  The ASR Hip Replacement is a metal-on-metal device that overtime can create an unsafe level of metallic debris in the patient’s body.  The metallic debris can lead to inflammation and damage to a person’s muscles and soft tissue.  In extreme cases where a revision surgery is not performed to correct the problem, the patient may suffer from metal poisoning from excessive amounts of cobalt.  The cobalt can cause such serious and long-lasting medical conditions as: deafness, blindness, vertigo, optic nerve damage, chronic headaches, peripheral neuropathy, and hypothyroidism.

What Are the Complications Patients Can Experience with a Defective DePuy Hip Implant?

Due to the defective product, many patients have been forced to undergo painful and expensive revision surgery to replace or remove the defective implant.  Overall, DePuy estimates that as many as 10,000 patients will have to undergo the revision surgery.  However, many experts believe that the actual number is likely much higher DePuy estimates.  Patients with the defective implant may experience the following signs and symptoms:

  • Thigh pain
  • Hip pain
  • Pain while walking
  • Pain when standing
  • Groin pain
  • Pain with weight bearing

DePuy Hip Implant Attorneys

Financial compensation may be available to patients who received the defective DePuy hip implant.  Patients are exposed to metal poisoning even without experiencing signs and symptoms of the defect so do not wait until you have pain before seeking legal counsel.  The defective medical device lawyers at Bailey & Greer offer free consultations to anyone with a DePuy hip implant.  Call us today at 901-680-9777 to get started with your case.

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