DePuy Orthopaedics and parent company Johnson & Johnson are facing a growing multi-district litigation from numerous patients alleging they needed hip revision surgery because of their Pinnacle metal hip implants.

One of the most recent DePuy metal hip implant lawsuits comes from a Texas woman, alleging she will need hip revision surgery soon after having the metal on metal hip replacement implanted.

Plaintiff Frankie S. alleges she will need hip revision surgery due to the allegedly defective nature of the company’s metal hip implant product. Frankie opted for the Pinnacle metal hip implant after reviewing the company’s marketing materials and talking the decision over with her orthopedic doctor. According to her DePuy metal hip implant lawsuit, she underwent total left hip replacement surgery on June 14, 2010.

Overview of Metal Hip Implant Complications

Not long after her surgery, Frankie says, she reportedly began experiencing severe pain and discomfort in her left hip. In addition, Frankie says her mobility significantly decreased and she walked with a constant limp.

Due to her chronic pain and discomfort, Frankie will most likely have to undergo hip revision surgery to replace the Pinnacle device. Frankie opted to file the DePuy metal hip implant lawsuit, alleging her future hip revision surgery is necessary due to the defective nature of the Pinnacle Device.

In the lawsuit, Frankie states that other patients have suffered similar injuries and were forced to undergo hip revision surgery. According to the DePuy metal hip implant lawsuit, the FDA has received 1,300 injury reports regarding the Pinnacle Device. The injury reports indicated serious side effects including:

• Metallosis (Blood Metal Poisoning)
• Device Failure
• Tissue Death
• Bone Erosion
• Development of Tumors

The hip revision surgery lawsuit allegesthese injury reports indicate high failure rate and adverse biological reactions to the Pinnacle device, neither of which were discussed on the device’s warning label. These problems have become associated with metal-on-metal hip implants, in which the interaction between the metal-on-metal hip components may produce negative effects inside the body.

While metal-on-metal hip implants were marketed to be tougher and longer lasting than ceramic or plastic models, many allege the products are unreasonably dangerous to patients. More specifically, the interaction of the all-metal ball and socket joints cause metal ions to shed into the bloodstream.  This can cause blood metal ion levels to rise to dangerous levels, leading to metallosis and other complications, such as bone erosion and tissue death. Overall, high metal ion levels can greatly compromise a patient’s health and should be treated as soon as possible.

Patients are often forced to undergo hip revision surgery in order to treat these complications. Even though these problems can compound patients’ conditions, Johnson & Johnson allegedly failed to warn the public of these complications, according to plaintiffs in the multidistrict litigation. Frankie is no different, as she will have to undergo hip revision surgery to explant the allegedly defective Pinnacle Device.

Frankie is filing her DePuy metal hip implant lawsuit in federal court, where it will stand alongside other claims alleging similar injuries. Frankie states she would never have opted for the Pinnacle device if she had known about the likely need for hip revision surgery.

This DePuy Metal Hip Implant Lawsuit is Case No. 3:17-cv-02558-K, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, Dallas Division.