What is the DePuy Hip Replacement?
DePuy Orthopedics developed the DePuy ASRTM  XL Acetabular System, and marketed it in the US from 2005 until August 2010. DePuy, a unit of Johnson and Johnson, marketed this device to orthopedic surgeons in the US, Australia, the UK, and Europe as a treatment for patients with severe arthritis and other diseases of the hip joint. The company estimates that 93,000 of these flawed devices have been implanted in patients worldwide.

In the US, the Food and Drug Administration received hundreds of reports of early failure of the device, and the need for a second surgery to remove the failed implant and replace it. By early 2010, DePuy was making plans to phase out this implant, but it never advised surgeons or patients about the high failure rate. Surgeons who brought their concerns to DePuy were told that the device was fine, and the problem was their surgical technique.

In 2010 data from the UK National Joint Registry, covering England and Wales, showed that one in eight patients with DePuy ASR implants required surgery to remove and replace them within five years. This is an early failure rate of greater than 12 per cent, more than twice the norm for hip replacements. In the face of these numbers, DePuy withdrew all ASR implants from the market in the US and worldwide in August 2010.

What health problems are associated with the DePuy ASR  Hip Replacements?
Patients who had the DePuy hip replacement complained of severe pain in the hip or groin and inability to bear weight on the leg with the implant. Many have required one or two canes in order to walk; others can no longer walk.

When surgeons operate to remove and replace the failed device, they have frequently found that the failed implant had shed particles of cobalt and chromium, the metals of which the implant is made. These metal particles had triggered reactions around the implant that were destroying previously healthy bone and muscle tissue. Implant patients who complained of pain showed abnormally high blood levels of cobalt and chromium.

A second surgery to remove and replace a failed implant is always a more complicated procedure, with the risk of a less-good outcome, because the surgeon has less bone to work with, and must also deal with scar tissue. Rehabilitation takes longer, and the patient’s final level of functioning is likely to be lower than after the initial surgery. Even after removal of the failed device, patients may continue to experience severe pain from the tissue damage caused by cobalt and chromium ions.

 What should you do if you have had a DePuy ASR XL Acetabular System implant?
If you or a loved one has had a DePuy ASRTM XL Acetabular System hip replacement since 2005 and you have experienced serious pain, diminished ability to walk, or other symptoms you should contact an experienced medical device attorney immediately for review of a potential claim against the manufacturer.

How can Casey Gerry help you with your DePuy ASRTM  Hip Replacement case?
Casey Gerry, based in San Diego, is one of the oldest and most respected plaintiffs and personal injury firms in California. Partners Gayle Blatt and Wendy Behan have represented clients in a number of high-profile nationwide medical device cases, including the Sulzer hip, the Taxus stent, and Guidant pacemakers/defibrillators.

If you believe that you or a loved one has been injured by a failed DePuy hip replacement device, please contact us immediately for evaluation by an experienced attorney.