A Tennessee resident has filed a lawsuit against DePuy, alleging the company’s hip implant is defective and her injuries necessitated Pinnacle revision surgery.

Pinnacle Revision Surgery Required for Patient 

The plaintiff, Barbara L., was implanted with a DePuy hip device in her right hip on Aug. 31, 2009, and another implant in her left hip on Oct. 6, 2009. The specific device used in both cases was the Pinnacle Ultamet. The plaintiff says she was responsible for getting Pinnacle revision surgery due to defects.

Unfortunately, during blood testing in February 2015, doctors found a worryingly high concentration of metals in her blood: chromium and cobalt. A few months later, her blood was tested again, and the concentration of metal in her blood was higher. Barbara underwent blood testing twice the following year, and each time, the levels of metal in her blood rose.

During this time period, as the concentration of metals were rising, Barbara says she began experiencing a number of health problems affecting her heart, breathing, and cognition. Her surgeon recommended she undergo Pinnacle revision surgery to alleviate these problems with metallosis.

Barbara underwent Pinnacle revision surgery for her right and left hips in 2017 a couple of months apart. Because of these side effects of the implant, she claims she has suffered and continues to suffer from physical and emotional damages as well as medical expenses.

The Pinnacle revision surgery lawsuit was filed on Jan. 31, 2018, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas. The lawsuit was filed on multiple counts, including negligence, failure to warn, manufacturing defect, design defect, negligent misrepresentation, breach of express and implied warranties, and fraud.

Background of the DePuy Hip Implant

The specific DePuy metal hip device referred to in this lawsuit is the Pinnacle Ultamet.

The Pinnacle device was released onto the market back in 2001 and was intended to replace hip joints damaged by a number of conditions.

The DePuy Pinnacle device is widely used for hip replacements all across the country. According to its manufacturers, almost 150,000 people have gone through a total hip replacement with this a DePuy device. DePuy itself notes that “99.9% of Pinnacle Hip components are still in use today,” which indicates that many patients may yet be at risk of suffering from similar side effects.

In many cases, like that of Barbara and others like her, these complications can lead to patients needing to undergo Pinnacle revision surgery. Of course, any additional surgery brings with it its own risks of infection and other complications.

Thousands of lawsuits have so far been filed over serious DePuy Pinnacle revision surgery defects.

Filing a DePuy Pinnacle Revision Surgery Lawsuit

Lawsuits claim that DePuy failed to adequately warn the public and the medical community about the complications associated with the device that may even lead to Pinnacle revision surgery.

If you or someone you love has suffered from complications due to DePuy Pinnacle defects, especially if they required Pinnacle revision surgery, you may be able to file a DePuy lawsuit. While filing a lawsuit cannot take away the pain and suffering caused by hip implant side effects, it can help to alleviate the financial burden caused by medical expenses and lost wages.

The Pinnacle Revision Surgery Lawsuit is Case No. 3:18-cv-00255-K, in the U.S. District Court for the Dallas Division of the Northern District of Texas.