Is Your Hip Replacement a Metal-on-Metal Implant?
Metal-on-metal hip implants have been in the news frequently over the past couple of years for a very good reason—metallosis and hip implant failures are increasingly common among those with all-metal hip implants. Even the most conservative estimates point to as many as 7,500—or 3% of all those with metal hip implants—affected by cobalt and chromium poisoning and hip implant failure.
Many of the metal-on-metal hip implants experience failure rates as high as 12%-40% which is a staggering number of people. Most surgeons agree that patients who undergo their first hip implant surgery should be relatively pain-free three months’ post-op. New or increased pain after three months is cause for concern and should be immediately relayed to the treating physician. Those with metal hip implants should have regular blood tests to measure levels of cobalt and chromium as well as other tests ordered by their doctor such as x-rays, bone scans and MRIs.
Should You Participate in the DePuy Class Action Lawsuit?
Hundreds of individual lawsuits as well as a number of class action lawsuits have been filed throughout the United States against DePuy Orthopedics (the manufacturer of the Pinnacle and ASR hip implants) as well as several other metal hip manufacturers. The class action suits will likely focus on costs associated with metal monitoring and taking care to see that the all-metal hip implant does not lead to medical problems. Those involved in an individual lawsuit are more likely to be able to secure additional compensation for any complications they suffered from the DePuy metal hip implants, although there are negative aspects as well. In December of 2010, the U.S. Panel on Multidistrict Litigation consolidated all federal DePuy ASR hip recall lawsuits and the Pinnacle lawsuits have been consolidated in an MDL in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas with the first Pinnacle trial set for September of 2014.
History of the DePuy Pinnacle Hip Implant
The variations from the Pinnacle and the ASRlie primarily in the design. The Pinnacle initially had a smaller head and longer stem, and when changes to a larger head and shorter stem were made, there were no clinical trials involved. There were no studies done after the Pinnacle changes were made which would have discovered long-term problems. The Pinnacle offers a choice of liner type—plastic, metal or ceramic. The metal liners which have be the primary cause of the problems among implant recipients. The Pinnacle gained FDA approval in 2000.
How a Defective Hip Implant Can Affect Your Life
When the metal parts of a hip implant rub against each other during times of physical activity, microscopic metal ions can shear away, landing in surrounding tissues or in the bloodstream of the implant recipient. While each person will react differently to cobalt and chromium in their body, at some point these metals will wreak havoc within the body. Some people with relatively low measured levels of metals suffer pain, metal toxicity and total hip failure while others with higher levels may not experience adverse symptoms until the levels are extremely high.
When the cobalt and chromium ions lodge into the hip tissues, inflammation, pain, tissue destruction and loss or bone loss are all potential side effects. When the levels of cobalt and chromium build up in the bloodstream, the renal, cardiovascular and neurological systems may all be affected. Further, fatigue, chronic headaches, emotional disturbances such as depression, irritability and anxiety, vertigo, hearing and vision loss, skin disorders and gastrointestinal problems are all seen in those with higher-than-normal levels of metals in their body. In some people large cysts known as pseudo-tumors can occur as the cobalt and chromium levels build up.