DePuy Orthopaedics Inc., maker of the DePuy ASR hip replacement system and other metal-on-metal hip prosthetic units, and a court-appointed committee of counsel representing plaintiffs in litigation against the company, developed two settlement agreements, the latter of which was recently modified in the 2017 ASR hip settlement.

The original litigation against DePuy Orthopaedics Inc. was organized as multidistrict legislation (MDL) 2197 and was filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio in December 2010.

The first DePuy settlement, dated in the fall of 2013, compensated patients who had to replace their ASR hips in complicated revision surgeries before the end of August 2013.

The second settlement, dated in the spring of 2015, allowed for compensation for patients who underwent revision surgery between Aug. 31, 2013 and Jan. 31, 2015. According to www.usasrhipsettlement.com, the current 2017 ASR hip settlement extends the deadline even further to include patients having revision surgeries through Feb. 15, 2017.

Metallosis and Other Problems with the DuPuy ASR Hip Implant

The 2013 ASR hip settlement, 2015 ASR hip settlement, and extension provided through the 2017 ASR hip settlement all exist because of multiple complaints regarding the prosthetic device.

From 2008 to 2010, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) received approximately 400 complaints about the ASR hip. ASR patients complained of significant pain, inflammation, and ambulatory issues long after a reasonable recovery period.

The recipients of the DePuy ASR hip prosthetic unit or its components have frequently had to get their hips revised or surgically replaced with other combination prosthetics within a three-year window of the original hip arthroscopy. Upon surgical review, complaints of pain were frequently substantiated by a diagnosis of metallosis.

Metallosis is a loosening of the hip device and/or tissue damage around the device that is secondary to the corrosion of and release of metal wear debris from the metal-on-metal prosthetic hip unit.

The ASR unit includes a femoral head with stem, acetabular cup and plastic socket liner. Other problems reported with the ASR hip prosthetics have been:

• Bone damage and fracturing
• Dislocated hip
• Metal poisoning in the bloodstream by cobalt or chromium
• Non-cancerous tumors around the prosthetic device
• Cancer

The 2017 ASR Hip Settlement Extension

The 2017 ASR hip settlement adds two more years and two weeks to the second settlement of the DePuy ASR case, allowing for more ASR hip revision patients to come forward to take part in the case.

If you or a loved one have had to have a total hip revision surgery within just a few short years of the original joint replacement and were the recipient of a metal-on-metal DePuy ASR Prosthetic hip unit or component, a consultation with a knowledgeable hip implant attorney can help you get the compensation you deserve.