Two residents of the state of North Carolina have filed a products liability litigation lawsuit against Biomet Orthopedics, LLC. the makers and manufacturers of the M2a Magnum hip system.

Plaintiffs Donald M. and Glenda M. filed the lawsuit against Biomet in a federal court in Indiana.

According to the M2a Magnum hip system lawsuit, Donald had the Magnum M2a Metal-on-Metal Hip System implanted in his hip.

However, according to the M2a Magnum hip system lawsuit, this implantation caused severe adverse health effects and complications.

“The Hip System suffers from defects that cause excessive amounts of cobalt and chromium to corrode and wear from the surfaces of the acetabular cup, femoral head, and the taper sleeve, which in turn causes the hip implant to fail and the surrounding tissue and bone to die,” the M2a Magnum hip system lawsuit states.

The complaint further states that “as a result of these defects, plaintiff’s Hip System had an unreasonably high risk of failing in his body, causing severe loosening of the device and/or toxic levels of cobalt and chromium, tissue and bone destruction, and the need for plaintiff to undergo a complicated and risky surgery to remove and replace the defective implant.”

M2a Magnum Hip System Facts

The hip joint in the body connects the femur to the pelvic bone. It is made up of a femoral head, defined as “a ball-like structure at the top of the femur,” which is rotated within the acetabulum, or “cup-like structure at the bottom of the pelvis,” according to Donald and Glenda’s complaint.

According to the M2a Magnum hip system lawsuit, a healthy hip is one in which there is an extensive amount of range of motion and one where both bones are cushioned with fluid and cartilage between them that helps support the range of motion.

A total hip replacement is made up of 4 parts. The hip replacement system consists of: 1) a femoral stem 2) a femoral head, 3) a plastic liner, and 4) an acetabular shell.

The femoral stem is the part that a surgeon implants after carving out a patient’s femur bone. The femoral head is a metal ball on top of the femoral stem. This ball “forms the hip joint when it is placed inside the polyethylene liner and acetabular shell,” according to the complaint.

According to the M2a Magnum hip system lawsuit, however, the hip system, “suffers from a design or manufacturing defect that causes loosening of the device and/or excessive amounts of cobalt and chromium to wear and corrode from the surface of the acetabular cup, from the femoral head, and from the taper adapter.”

Additionally, the fragments of metal, including cobalt and chromium, can allegedly stimulate the body to reject the implant. Symptoms resulting from the rejection, includes feelings of pain, dislocation, looseness, and squeaking and popping sounds.

Moreover, the M2a Magnum hip system lawsuit states, that “inside the hip joint, the metal reaction often causes fluid to accumulate and soft tissues and bone to die.”

The M2a Magnum hip system lawsuit alleges that the hip system was not properly tested by the defendants. The plaintiffs allege it was never approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for safety and efficacy.

Allegedly, the M2a Magnum hip system lawsuit further purports that Biomet sold the defective hip implant knowing that it was in fact defective, that it could injure others, and the plaintiff.

The M2a Magnum hip system lawsuit states, moreover, that “to date, more than 350 reports of adverse events associated with the M2a Magnum Hip System have been filed with the FDA.”

The M2a Magnum Hip System Lawsuit is Case No. 3:17-cv-00509-RLM-MGG, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana, South Bend Division.