Studies Support Thousands of DePuy Hip Implant Lawsuits

A new study has recently been published in the Journal of Bone and Joint and its findings seem to lend support to the thousands of injured plaintiffs who have filed hip implant lawsuits against DePuy in recent years. The randomized 5-year study compared metal ion levels in patients who received metal-on-metal hip implants. At 5 years post-op these patients had significantly higher levels of toxic metals, cobalt and chromium, than those patients who received a metal-on-polyethylene hip implant.

This is good news for the thousands of injured hip implant patients who have filed lawsuits against hip manufacturers like DePuy. To date, over 140,000 Americans have received the all-metal DePuy Pinnacle hip implant device. According to the lawsuits that have been filed, injured plaintiffs allege that the all-metal design of the Pinnacle hip implant makes patients more vulnerable to metallosis, pseudotumor formation, and early hip failure. Hip implant failure alone can lead to painful revision surgery, further compromising the integrity of the hip joint. Toxic levels of metals in the tissues surrounding the hip joint can destroy bone, tissue, and ligaments permanently, leading to permanent disability.

Even though thousands of lawsuits have been filed and the FDA has warned consumers about dangerously high metal ions in the bloodstream, Johnson & Johnson has still not recalled the DePuy pinnacle hip implant, although they did cease the sale of this device in 2013.

DePuy isn’t the only hip implant manufacturer under fire for their faulty and defective all-metal hip implants. In the last decade alone, there have been 578 different hip implant recalls from six different manufacturers, including Smith & Nephew, Stryker, Biomet, Wright Medical, and Zimmer Holdings.

Recipients of the metal-on-metal DePuy Pinnacle hip implant may be eligible to file a lawsuit against the manufacturer of their defective hip. If you or someone you love has suffered medical complications, required painful revision surgery, or has high levels of toxic metals in your blood, it is important to consult with an experienced defective hip implant lawyer.

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