In many cases, after a car accident which resulted in injuries, the victims of those injuries may find themselves dealing with what is sometimes called Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, and other times labeled Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy. Although the exact cause of CRPS is not fully understood, one theory suggests that the injuries resulting from the car crash trigger an immune response as well as other symptoms associated with inflammation. Complex Regional Pain Syndrome often affects the arms, legs, hands or feet and the primary symptom is intense, continuous pain which is difficult to alleviate. Extreme sensitivity to even the lightest touch is a hallmark of CRPS and the pain felt by the victim is almost always much more acute that the injury would warrant on the surface.

Many recipients of hip implants who believed they were being implanted with a safe implant have found to their dismay that they received a metal-on-metal hip implant which has since been found to bring very real health risks. DePuy Orthotics, along with many other all-metal hip manufacturers, have been under scrutiny and many of these implants—including DePuy’s ASR have been recalled due to risks of failure and metallosis.

A primary concern facing the American public is the safety issues associated with the metal-on-metal hip implants used for hip replacement surgery. As the Baby Boomers in our society continue to age and continue to desire an active lifestyle, more and more hip replacement surgeries are taking place.

The DePuy Pinnacle hip implant gained FDA approval in 2000, and five years later the DePuy ASR received FDA approval based on the contention by DePuy that it was substantially equivalent in design to the Pinnacle. Under the FDA’s 510(k) approval process, this was sufficient to approve the ASR even though the Pinnacle had already had some issues of its own. 

The DePuy ASR hip implant was approved by the FDA in 2005 following approval of its predecessor, the Pinnacle, in 2000. In fact, the ASR hip implant gained FDA approval by claiming it was substantially equivalent to the Pinnacle—even though the Pinnacle has its own set of problems.