Patients who receive a hip replacement do not anticipate having to fight the makers of their medical device for a DePuy ASR hip settlement to offset the costs of complications associated with their surgery.

Countless patients who have been implanted with both the Pinnacle Hip System and the ASR Hip System, both made by DePuy Orthopaedics, have not expected to battle with severe complications associated with their new hip.

Many plaintiffs who have benefitted from the DePuy ASR hip settlement have claimed that the company did not warn them that the metal-on-metal design of their hip implants were unsafe and could potentially cause tissue death, inflammation and metallosis, or a metal poisoning of the surrounding tissue and blood.

Johnson & Johnson, who owns DePuy, agreed to pay a multi-billion dollar DePuy ASR hip settlement to affected patients after seeing thousands of product liability lawsuits in court over the past several years.

What is a Metal-on-Metal Hip Replacement?

The devices in question are metal-on-metal hip replacements. What this means is that both parts of the device are made from metal instead of ceramic or plastic. It is believed that the metal-on-metal hip replacement devices last longer than other types of hip replacements.

It is also believed that younger patients who need hip replacements should opt for this type of device because it can handle more intense friction that might occur with the activity of younger patients like exercise or running.

The problem with metal-on-metal hip replacement devices is that when the ball-and-socket parts rub against each other, metal shards are released into surrounding tissue. What was not anticipated with the inception of this type of device was that over time, these metal shards would cause metal poisoning.

This metal poisoning causes the tissue around the device to become oxygen-starved. In patients with a metal sensitivity, this release of metallic particles can lead to more serious conditions.

Other complications have been associated with these types of hip replacement systems. These include dislocation of the hip implant, heterotopic ossification, or the calcification of soft tissue, hip infection and osteolysis, or the loss of bone around the replacement.

DePuy ASR Hip Settlement

At one point, in 2010, DePuy issued a recall for its ASR (Articular Surface Replacement) hip systems because of high failure rate. This recall affected almost 100,000 people worldwide.

But even with the recall, thousands of affected patients filed suit to receive a DePuy ASR hip settlement because they allege the company knew about the risks yet failed to warn them.

Almost 10,000 patients have sought a DePuy ASR hip settlement and Johnson & Johnson agreed to settle many of the claims with a DePuy ASR hip settlement of $4 billion.

Plaintiffs still continue to sue, however, believing that DePuy and Johnson & Johnson were complicit in their medical problems, knowing full well of the high incident of dislocation, device failure, infection, immobility and metallosis.

If you or someone you love has been adversely affected by a Pinnacle hip system or an ASR hip system, you may be a good candidate for a DePuy ASR hip settlement.