Many patients have undergone hip replacement surgery to relieve severe hip pain or mend a joint that can only fixed through hip revision surgery. A popular joint replacement device that is available to many patients is the DePuy ASR hip system.

However, many patients have complained of serious problems associated with their DePuy ASR hip system citing early failure and the need for revision surgery.

Those who have been implanted with a DePuy ASR hip system have complained that they have suffered from a host of difficulties as a result of their DePuy hip replacement.

These complications include:

• An increased cancer risk as a result of toxins leaking into the surrounding tissue from the metal in the implants;
• A condition known as degenerative heart disease cardiomyopathy;
• Pseudotumors, or non-cancerous tumors, in the area of the hip implant site causing pain, swelling, inflammation as well as intense discomfort; and
• Early failure of the hip implant which necessitates revision surgery.

Revision surgery is often much more complicated than the original implantation surgery. Because of this, there is a greater possibility of risk to the patient associated with DePuy ASR hip revision surgery.

Generally, joint replacements should last about ten years. But many DePuy ASR hip system devices last as little as five or seven years before the patient experiences complications.

In 2010, because of a growing amount of reports regarding problems with the DePuy ASR hip system, DePuy initiated a voluntary recall of nearly 100,000 DePuy ASR hip system devices around the world.

This voluntary recall included 37,000 devices in the United States alone. The recall was enacted in large part due to UK joint registry data that found 13% of DePuy ASR hip system recipients required revision surgery because of complications.

The manufacturers of the DePuy ASR hip system are up against approximately 8,000 lawsuits regarding the DePuy ASR hip system and the DePuy Pinnacle hip system. These are some of the most popular hip replacement systems offered to those who need it.

DePuy’s own website suggests that patients see a doctor to have their DePuy ASR hip system evaluated. “It is important for all ASR patients to have their hip evaluated by their doctor. Patient safety and health are important to DePuy, and we are committed to providing ASR patients with the information and support they need for their recall-related medical care,” the website says.

Other DePuy Problems

Other models of DePuy hip systems are also under fire. The DePuy Pinnacle hip replacement system is also the subject of multiple lawsuits. Most recently, six plaintiffs were awarded a total of $247 million because of their injury claims regarding the DePuy Pinnacle hip system.

These New York plaintiffs claim they suffered bone damage and tissue death among other injuries. The jury found that the devices were designed defectively and the manufacturers should have warned patients regarding the risks of their devices.

If you have suffered complications as a result of your DePuy ASR hip system, you may benefit from speaking with an experienced attorney.