DePuy, the makers of the DePuy ASR hip implant, has entered into a settlement to compensate patients who have experienced pain, suffering, need for revision surgery and other losses as a result of the failure of their implant.

The DePuy metal hip settlement covers patients who were recipients of the DePuy ASR implant that was voluntarily recalled in August 2010. After approximately 37,000 ASR implants were implanted into patients across the United States, many patients are still unaware of the issues surrounding the implant and their opportunity to participate in the DePuy metal hip settlement.

Complications Stemming from the DePuy ASR Metal Hip

The DePuy ASR metal hip is a metal-on-metal hip implant. Hip implants made from metal are thought to be more durable than their counterparts made with other materials. Some other hip implants are made with metal, but they have liners made of another material, such as ceramic or polyethylene, that prevent the metal parts from touching.

Because the metal parts in the DePuy ASR hip implant touch, a number of health complications can occur, and it is these complications that have given rise to reports that the hip implant is defective. When the pieces of the DePuy ASR metal hip implant touch, the friction of the metal pieces rubbing together causes the metal particles to slough off.

These metal particles can then enter the nearby tissue and bloodstream. As metal particles from chromium and cobalt, the metals that make up hip implant, are not needed by the body, the body mounts a response to these metal particles. A localized response can cause the tissue to become inflamed surrounding the hip implant, and sometimes tissue suffers from necrosis, or death.

When the metal ions travel through the bloodstream, they can present systemic problems. Endocrine disruption and organ damage can result from high levels of chromium and cobalt in the blood, a condition known as metallosis.

Local and systemic damage caused by the metal ions in the body can lead to the development of pseudotumors, cancer, degenerative heart disease, bone fractures surrounding the implant, hip dislocation, failure of the hip implant and more.

Participating in the DePuy Metal Hip Settlement

If you or a loved one were surgically implanted with the DePuy ASR metal hip implants that were recalled in 2010, you may be eligible to take part in the DePuy metal hip settlement.

The process for taking part in this settlement is a difficult one, and plaintiffs are advised to consult with an attorney in order to meet all of the requirements to make a settlement claim and receive the funds that are due to you.

It is anticipated eligible claimants will receive anywhere between $200,000 and $500,000 if they are able to participate in the DePuy settlement.

An experienced medical device attorney is available to review your case and can help advise you if you are in fact eligible to take part in the DePuy metal hip settlement to recover damages that you may have suffered.