Some of the most prominent people in the orthopedic market have recalled their hip replacement equipment which is usually a shock to individuals who have had the hip replacement surgery treatment themselves. This makes others wonder if perhaps they have faulty products after 90,000 units have already been recalled.

Recall of DePuy Hip Implants for 2010

3 months back, DePuy Orthapedics has recalled two types of hip implants. In point of fact, the FDA began to obtain constant complaints about the DePuy device several years ago. From 2008 onward, the number of complaints associated with the failure of this device has reached nearly 400 in toto. According to the latest estimates, some 93,000 people all over the world have received this defective hip implant.

As per the information on the company website:

What are the known design problems related to ASR hip?

Many orthopedic doctors conclude that the DePuy metal-on-metal hip implant had a design flaw. The fact that the component has a narrow window for proper placement made it difficult to implant properly, The source of the implant's problems is believed to be the design of the ASR cup which is shallower than some similar devices.

According to The New York Times, the potential for generating large amounts of metal debris during normal wear can negatively impact soft tissue and cause serious health issues for patients, as well as other problems associated with the DePuy hip replacement.

Hip Replacement: Is It Really a Magic Bullet?

Not only can the surgery for replacing a DePuy ASR hip device be rather long and involved, it may actually lead to more complications than those that resulted from the original operation.

There is a reduced amount of bone as a result of the previous implant which is a problem in subsequent surgeries. Revision type surgery for hip implants means that the patient's likelihood of hip dislocation increases four fold.

According to data that DePuy itself recently received, a surprising number of people who received the hip replacement implant experienced pain and other symptoms that, in many instances, could not be resolved until a second surgery was performed. Studies show that a significant number of patients who had the operation needed to go in and have follow up surgeries done.

Is it true that DePuy is now the focus on of lawsuits?

Thanks to the failure of the DePuy device, many patients are currently filing a variety of lawsuits that seek compensation for pain and suffering and other physical conditions, not to mention for the recovery of monetary compensation for hip replacement and other pecuniary losses. The plaintiffs have charged that despite having knowledge that its ASR hip replacement devices were defective, it purposely concealed this information from patients and physicians. A hip recall of the DePuy ASR hip has taken place following two years of complaints, requiring expensive and debilitating revision operations. As DePuy ASR artificial hip is known to malfunction a lot, one in every eight patients receiving these devices will have to go for corrective surgery.

Lawsuits on DePuy Hip Implants

A recent lawsuit filed in New Orleans was based on DePuy Orthopaedics' inability to properly recall its hip replacement mechanism. Ida Mosley, as the Louisiana Record tells it on Sept. 30, 2010, has had pain, soreness and a hard time walking since she had her hip replacement surgery back in 2008. Mosley had to undergo revision surgery which was blamed on the failed hip implant.

The DePuy ASR XL Acetabular System and the ASR Hip Resurfacing Platform are subject to failure within two years of their implantation due to the general wear and tear and this is as per the pleas before many of the lawsuits.

In the mean time, DePuy Orthopedics has seen their lawsuit grow by 13 patients from Illinois and Indiana. According to an article in the News Gazette dated September 23, 2010, patients have asserted that DePuy knew or should have known of the various dangers associated with this hip replacement device including metalosis and high revision rates among those patients who got the implant, but that DePuy failed to warn doctors about these possible dangers.

DePuy will offer you help. Be careful, because you may be getting more than you bargained for.

Patients who have received the implant, as well as their health care providers, have reportedly been promised help by DePuy in gathering pertinent information and covering costs of visits to the physician, exams, and related surgical procedures. There can be hidden items and be really careful about it. Before you sign any type of documents you should first obtain advice from a legal expert. Patients' legal claims may be put at risk by signing documents for DePuy or its claims adjusters from Broadspire, or even by giving them statements. The amount of monitary compensation being offered is not a reasonable amount considering the pain and suffering the victims went through.