A woman from Colorado says she had to undergo multiple revision surgeries due to defects in her Durom Cup hip implant.

Plaintiff Jill K. is suing Zimmer Biomet, the group of companies that designs and manufactures the Durom Acetabular Component, an implant used in hip replacement surgery.

Jill says she had a Durom Cup implanted in her right hip as part of her hip replacement surgery conducted in July 2007.

She says she has had to undergo hip replacement revision surgery twice since then, with the more recent surgery having been done in April 2016. She alleges her recovery and treatment for her injuries are still not over.

Jill says that Zimmer Biomet promoted the Durom Cup as a “durable and effective hip replacement device, allowing for a greater range of motion, with less wear on the bearing than other implantable hip components.”

The lawsuit further states that she and her physicians relied on statements like these when they chose to use the Durom Cup in Jill’s hip replacement surgery.

She alleges Zimmer Biomet improperly promoted the Durom Cup as being safe and effective even though the company knew or should have known that the device failed at an unacceptable rate, causing severe pain and disability and requiring hip replacement revision surgery.

These problems resulted from defects in the Durom Cup’s design and manufacture, Jill claims. She says the device’s defects are severe enough to make it unfit for the use it was designed for.

Jill’s hip replacement lawsuit raises claims for negligence, defective design, defective manufacture, failure to warn, breach of warranty, fraud, misrepresentation, and unjust enrichment.

She seeks an award of damages to cover losses like medical bills and lost earnings, plus compensation for non-economic harm like pain and suffering, disfigurement and emotional distress.

Unexpected Complications of Hip Replacement Surgery

The Durom Cup was designed to be implanted without the use of adhesive. Constructed of a single layer of cobalt-chromium metal, it features a porous coating designed to encourage the surrounding bone to grow and fuse with the cup after hip replacement surgery.

But plaintiffs like Jill allege the device failed to do what it was intended to do. In some cases, the device failed within two years of being implanted.

They say that failure of the Durom Cup has caused serious injury and need for revision surgery, which itself exposes the patient to an additional risk of hip replacement infection.

Plaintiffs generally allege Zimmer Biomet failed to properly test the Durom Cup before putting it on the market.

Like Jill, they allege that Zimmer Biomet improperly marketed the Durom Cup as being safe and effective when they should have been warning physicians and patients about the associated risks like device failure and possible hip replacement infection.

If you or a loved one suffered an infection from hip replacement surgery or had to undergo hip revision surgery to replacement a defective hip implant, you may be entitled to compensation for your medical expenses, pain, and suffering.

An experienced personal injury attorney can evaluate your case for free and advise you of your legal options.

The Hip Replacement Surgery Lawsuit is Case No. 1:16-cv-01399 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado