Johnson & Johnson and subsidiary DePuy Orthopaedcis is facing a growing multidistrict litigation (MDL) consisting of patients who opted to file a DePuy ASR hip replacement lawsuit after suffering complications.

A New York couple has joined this litigation by filing their own DePuy ASR hip replacement lawsuit, with the wife alleging hip implant complications forced her to undergo revision surgery.

Plaintiff couple Arlene B. and Hugh B. are alleging DePuy’s metal on metal hip implant was defective and caused long term harm to their lives and marriage.

Arlene states that she had been recommended the DePuy ASR hip implant by her physician, and she agreed to have it implanted after reviewing the advertisements from the company.

The couple says these marketing statements indicated the DePuy ASR metal hip implant was a safe and effective choice for her deteriorating hip joints. Arlene underwent total right hip replacement surgery on June 23, 2008, and had suffered no initial complications.

However, some time after the implant procedure, Arlene began experiencing painful symptoms allegedly from the DePuy ASR hip implant including: debilitating pain, stiffness, discomfort, and weakness. This made daily life very difficult for Arlene, which eventually prompted a revision surgery to help correct these complications.

Even with this revision surgery, Arlene’s ability to perform daily tasks remained compromised and still continues to affect her.

Overview of DePuy ASR Metal Hip Implant Complications

When Arlene became aware of the recent recall on the DePuy ASR hip implants, she became worried that her implant was also a part of concerning group of implants mentioned by Johnson & Johnson.

The DePuy ASR hip implant recall was conducted on Aug. 23, 2010, when the company voluntarily recalled 93,000 implants from the worldwide market, including 37,000 implants from the United States.

This recall was initiated due to a troubling report released from the U.K. Joint Registry, which reported that 13% of DePuy ASR patients had to undergo revision surgery soon after the initial implant surgery.

These revision surgeries were often required due to problems stemming from the all metal ball and socket components of the implant interacting and shedding metal ions into the bloodstream.

This can lead to the development of metallosis, blood metal poisoning, which can quickly compound into cancer and potential cardiac problems. In addition, patients suffering from metal on metal hip implant complications often experience:

• Fretting
• Corrosion
• Infection
• Formation of Pseudotumors
• Debilitating Pain
• Device Failure

This was reportedly the case for Arlene, who could not function on a day to day basis due to the effects of the DePuy ASR hip implant. Arlene eventually had the DePuy ASR hip implant removed on June 15, 2017, and opted to file the DePuy ASR hip replacement lawsuit to seek compensation.

Arlene is having her DePuy ASR hip replacement lawsuit join MDL No. 2197, consisting of other claims alleging similar injuries. By joining an MDL, Arlene’s claim will be streamlined through the litigation process and will avoid potential problems like conflicting rulings from different judges.

Arlene and Hugh are filing this DePuy ASR hip replacement lawsuit alleging multiple damages, including negligence, failure to warn, and loss of consortium.

This DePuy ASR Hip Replacement Lawsuit is Case No. 1:18-dp-20001-JJH, in the U.S. District Court of Northern Ohio, Western Division.