A hip implant metal poisoning lawsuit over a Pinnacle Device was recently filed by a Florida woman against DePuy Orthopaedics,Inc. Pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson is the parent company of DePuy.

Plaintiff Stephanie W. alleges that she suffered from a series of injuries because of a defective metal-on-metal Pinnacle Device from DePuy.

Stephanie was implanted with a DePuy Pinnacle Device on May 2, 2008, in her right hip. Unfortunately, a few years after this right hip replacement, she allegedly began experiencing pain in her right hip, according to the the hip implant metal poisoning lawsuit .

This pain was accompanied by popping and clicking in her hip, which increased over time to such an extreme level that it took away from her ability to perform regular daily activities, Stephanie’s lawsuit claims.

She describes the pain in this lawsuit as burning, aching, gnawing, stabbing, throbbing, and constant pain.

In response to these problems, Stephanie underwent a blood test first on June 19, 2014 and next on April 30, 2015. Both times, her blood ion testing showed elevated levels of the metals chromium and cobalt.

Because of the elevated levels of metal in her blood, the plaintiff underwent revision surgery on her right hip on October 19, 2015.

According to the lawsuit, Stephanie has suffered from serious and constant pain as a direct result of her hip replacement surgery, and she will continue to suffer from some of these hip replacement problems.

The hip implant metal poisoning lawsuit was filed on multiple counts, including defective design, manufacturing defect, failure to warn, negligence, and fraudulent misrepresentation. Stephanie’s husband also filed for loss of consortium.

The lawsuit notes that, while the device has not since been recalled, a growing number of adverse event reports are being filed in regards to problems with this device.

Hip Replacement Problems

Studies have found that patients who undergo hip revision surgery after an initial hip replacement face an even higher risk of dislocation and other hip replacement complications than those who only had a hip replacement.

One study fromBrigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston showed that 3.9 percent of patients who underwent hip replacement surgery suffered from dislocation, compared with 14.4 percent of revision surgery patients.

Essentially, the study found, revision surgery patients are four times more likely to suffer from dislocation than patients who have only had the initial implant surgery.

In some cases, hip implant metal poisoning can lead to extremely serious hip replacement problems, including tissue death and bone erosion. These problems can cause permanent damage that can’t be fixed by revision surgery.

Stephanie’s hip implant metal poisoning lawsuit and others like it allege that DePuy was not only aware of the dangers linked with its metal-on-metal hip implants, but also chose to actively market these devices as safe and effective.

Filing a Hip Implant Metal Poisoning Lawsuit

While filing a lawsuit cannot take away the pain and suffering from metal hip poisoning complications, it can help to compensate for financial expenses often incurred by medical bills and lost wages.

If you or someone you know has experienced metal hip replacement complications like metal poisoning due to a hip implant from DePuy or another company, you may be able to file a hip implant metal poisoning lawsuit.

The Hip Implant Metal Poisoning Lawsuit is  Case No. 3:16-cv-1983, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, Dallas Division.