A patient who allegedly required a DePuy ASR hip revision surgery recently filed a lawsuit against the implant company, claiming that her hip replacement was defective and poorly designed.

Plaintiff Martha U. recently filed a lawsuit against DePuy Orthopaedics Inc., Johnson & Johnson, and other related entities, alleging that she was forced to undergo a DePuy ASR hip revision surgery to correct the defects associated with her hip implant.

Martha says she was implanted with the DePuy ASR hip implant in March 2007. After her initial surgery, she says she started to experience a variety of adverse side effects including extreme pain, discomfort, soreness, swelling, loss of energy, immobilization, and acute localized damage to tissue and bone surrounding the acetabulum.

In December 2008, Martha says her adverse side effects prompted her to undergo a DePuy ASR hip revision surgery to remedy the failed implant.

The DePuy ASR hip implant system is a metal-on-metal hip replacement implant which is allegedly prone to complications. The metal-on-metal design of the hip implant reportedly increases the risk of toxic metallic debris, degenerative heart disease cardiomyopathy, non-cancerous tumor formation, and premature hip failure. Another common adverse side effect is metal poisoning caused by the release of metal debris from fretting between implant components.

In August 2010, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced a voluntary recall of DePuy ASR hip implants which affected around 93,000 units worldwide including 37,000 units in the United States. The recall was initiated after data from the UK joint registry showed that 13 percent of the implants required DePuy ASR hip revision surgery due to premature failure.

DePuy ASR hip revision surgery is necessary for patients who have experienced side effects which limit the functionality of their hip implant. During DePuy ASR hip revision surgery, a surgeon removes the failed implant, repairs any damage caused by implant failure, and reimplants a new hip replacement system.

The process can be difficult on the body, and there is no guarantee that the new hip replacement will not require revision surgery in the future. In fact, undergoing DePuy ASR hip revision surgery may increase a patient’s chance of needing additional revision surgeries in the future.

The DePuy ASR hip revision lawsuit claims Martha claims that she has suffered from a variety of damages from her DePuy ASR hip revision surgery including pain and suffering, medical and hospital expenses, lost wages, diminished quality of life, and an increased risk of premature hip device failure and subsequent revision surgeries.

Martha accuses the defendants of negligence, defective design, manufacturing defect, failure to warn, breach of warranties, fraudulent misrepresentation, fraudulent concealment, negligent misrepresentation, violation of consumer protection laws, and more. The DePuy ASR hip revision lawsuit seeks compensatory damages, punitive damages, statutory damages, medical monitoring, court costs, and attorneys’ fees.

The DePuy ASR Hip Revision Lawsuit is Case No. 1:18-dp-20074-JJH and is part of the DePuy ASR MDL, In re: DePuy Orthopaedics Inc. ASR Hip Implant Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 1:10-md-2197, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio.