Unfortunately, a large number of metal-on-metal hip replacement implants have had negative outcomes, from relatively minor to very severe. Tissue damage due to metallosis from the cobalt used in the hip implants can severely compromise any subsequent recommended revision surgery.

As we try to describe the reasons the DePuy ASR XL Acetabular System present such a danger to your health, we occasionally use terms you may be only vaguely familiar with. This is an ongoing series of articles on the medical terms related to the DePuy hip recall and hip revision surgeries.

While DePuy Orthopedics originally stated they were phasing out the ASR artificial hip implant due to slow sales, months later they warned doctors that the ASR implant seems to have a higher than normal failure rate which occurred soon after surgery in many patients. These actions occurred after more than two years of negative reports about the ASR implant which led to questions as to why the company didn’t halt sales earlier.

The ASR hip implant made by DePuy suffered considerable troubles after its initial introduction for use in conventional hip replacement surgeries in 2005. The FDA did not require DePuy to subject its ASR implant to clinical trials, considering it substantially the same as previously approved implants.

If you are one of more than 93,000 people worldwide affected by the recent recall of DuPuy, Inc.’s ASR Hip Replacement System, you may be in more danger than you realize.