Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Chromium and Cobalt Poisoning Seen in Pinnacle

Although the recalled DePuy ASR metal-on-metal hip implant has repeatedly made the news regarding the risk of metal poisoning from the friction of the metal parts which then release cobalt and chromium ions into the bloodstream and surrounding tissues, it is likely that the Pinnacle implant shares the same risks. The DePuy ASR recall is believed to be one of the most financially devastating failures of a medical device in U.S. history—over $3 billion dollars. While there are over 40,000 recipients of the device as this date there are only an estimated 7,000 patients taking part in the multi-district litigation lawsuits but many more are expected as the statute of limitations grows near.

The Pinnacle has not been recalled and there are an estimated 150,000 people in the United States alone who received this brand of metal-on-metal hip implant in the past few years. Attorneys who have tracked patients who received both the ASR and the Pinnacle estimate that more than ten percent of the Pinnacle metal-on-metal implants will fail within the next couple of years. Solid metal hip implants were touted as being much more resilient and long-lasting than the implants made from ceramic or polyethylene with an expected life of at least fifteen years. In truth, recipients of either of these implants have required hip replacement surgery long before that anticipated timeframe.

While Johnson and Johnson and DePuy vigorously defend the Pinnacle metal-on-metal implant calling it the best implant among these metal devices, many recipients of the Pinnacle are facing the identical health issues as those with the ASR which can include severe inflammation, a lack of mobility, disturbance in the gait and a tendency for dislocation. Johnson and Johnson states that because the metal head of the Pinnacle is considerably smaller than that of the ASR, it is much less likely to experience the level of friction thus less likely to shed metal particles into the body. These raised levels of metals being found in the bloodstream of patients with both the ASR and the Pinnacle is a major concern among recipients. When these metals reach dangerous levels they can cause metallosis which in turn leads to heart, brain, kidney and thyroid issues and can destroy the tissue, muscle and bone in the areas around the implant.

While the Pinnacle may be a slightly different science than the ASR, it is the same in the release of chromium and cobalt into the body which can lead to metallosis, necrosis and bone loss. Muscle loss is a major concern due to the fact that once muscle is lost you cannot regain it. While you work to make the surrounding muscles stronger, muscle can simply not be regenerated once destroyed. As the muscle deteriorates the patient may begin to walk with a gait, then that gait might turn into a painful and significant limp which could eventually require the use of a walker or scooter, and, in severe cases, the patient may lose the ability to walk at all.
Andrew Sullo, Class Action Lead Counsel & Managing Partner of Sullo & Sullo notes that he has spoken to scores of his firm’s clients regarding their symptoms of metal poisoning. While their experiences are certainly anecdotal and not scientifically documented, many of Sullo’s metal-on-metal hip implant clients has complained of memory loss, while others have noted the inability to distinguish between sweet and salty tastes as well as suffering hearing loss, skin problems and balance issues.
Logic would seem to dictate that as the varying levels of chromium and cobalt pump throughout the body and through the blood system it can very well affect different people in different areas of their body.

While one person might experience pain in the implant hip area, another might find they overcompensate for that pain which in turn leads to pain on the opposite side. Patients can find themselves changing the way they sit, walk and sleep simply from the muscle degeneration which results from excess levels of chromium and cobalt. In an informal survey of doctors done by Sullo and Sullo, a majority of them expressed their hesitation to implant a metal-on-metal device after the ASR recall and adverse health reports from their patients. Sullo also noted that “More than 50% of our ASR hip recipient docket has already received revisions.”

Whether you are the recipient of an ASR or a Pinnacle device and even if you have not yet experienced adverse health effects from the metal-on-metal hip implant it is extremely important that you take action to answer all of your questions and determine what you must do next in order to preserve your rights and protect your future.

Author: Sullo & Sullo Attorneys

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