A new hip replacement lawsuit has been filed against DePuy Orthopaedics, alleging that a Michigan woman suffered serious injuries from hip replacement surgery where a Pinnacle device was implanted.

Plaintiff Pamela S. underwent a right total hip replacement surgery in April 2010, where she received a Pinnacle hip implant with an Ultamet liner in place of her right hip.

According to the hip replacement lawsuit, Pamela began to experience friction and wear between the hip implant head and metal liner, causing large amounts of metal ions and particles to be released into her blood and tissue and bone surrounding the implants.

As a result of the metal toxicity from hip replacement surgery, Pamela experienced severe pain, discomfort, and inflammation in and around her Pinnacle implant and was forced to undergo another hip replacement surgery to replace the allegedly defective right hip implant in December 2014.

Pamela claims that DePuy purposely concealed known risks, the defective nature, and early failure rate of the Pinnacle device.  Pamela asserts that had she been made aware of these unreasonable risks she would never have consented to the Pinnacle device being used in her hip replacement surgery.

She has filed the hip replacement lawsuit on several counts including negligence, strict liability, failure to warn, manufacturing and design defect among others. Pamela is seeking damages for pain and suffering, loss of earnings, medical expenses, mental anguish and distress, disfigurement, and physical impairment along with punitive damages.

Her husband has also filed a claim for loss of consortium, or loss of intimacy with a spouse.

The Hip Replacement Lawsuit is Case No. 3:16-cv-00165 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, Dallas Division.

Hip Replacement Surgery Complications

Thousands of patients who received metal hip implants reported serious hip replacement surgery problems. High failure rates, serious side effects and complications such as metal toxicity from replacement hips have prompted recalls, lawsuits, and government action.

Many metal hip replacements were constructed using a hard metal, called cobalt, in order to extend the life of the hip replacement. As hip replacements fail and metal flakes enter the body, patients can suffer from cobalt toxicity (elevated cobalt levels).

Besides the symptoms associated with other forms of metal poisoning, cobalt toxicity can cause patients to suffer from fever, inflammation, and low thyroid levels. Some patients have also reported heart failure, loss of vision, loss of hearing, and organ damage.

Failing metal hip replacements can also lead to metallosis. When metal grinds on metal, metal “flakes” can rub off the hip replacement implant and seep into a patient’s body. The result can be a build-up of metal debris in nearby tissue and in the bloodstream.

Patients can experience pain around the hip joint, swelling and inflammation, numbness, bone loss, tissue death, and renewed mobility problems. These metal flakes can also travel to nearby organs such as the heart, leading to further complications.

If you have suffered from metal toxicity from hip replacement surgery, you may be eligible for monetary compensation, either by joining a settlement or filing a new hip replacement lawsuit. Even if you have not experienced symptoms of illness, you may be eligible for a new hip replacement in addition to other damages if you qualify. An experienced hip replacement attorney can review your situation at no cost.