If you have been fitted with a DePuy hip replacement prosthetic in recent times or know someone who has, you might be in for some bad news. A massive recall of all DePuy hip replacement devices is underway following reports that they are defective. If you have never really seen one, a hip replacement device, as the name indicates, works as a substitute for the hip bone and joint. The hip socket and the ball-shaped bone that fit into it are replaced with artificial ones that can be made out of several materials ranging from the more common plastic and metal to more exotic materials like ivory – and often combinations of these materials are used, with the most common combination being a plastic socket with a metal ball. In this case, the DePuy one was fully made of metal. There is general consensus that there are some problems with using both pieces made out of metal, as the friction between them causes a lot more debris to be released into the body, which leads to pain, swelling, inflammation and, in some cases, the formation of pseudo-tumors.
The above mentioned side effects are quite uncommon, although they do happen. And when it happens, patients need a second surgical intervention to correct the problem. In the DePuy case it was discovered that the percentage of patients requiring this second surgery was much higher than average – one out of every eight. This led to a class action lawsuit being moved against the company. If you think you would be eligible to join the suit, contact DePuy hip attorney and submit your case for evaluation.
Tags: hip replacement