Plaintiff Amanda T. and her husband Frank P. recently filed a DePuy Pinnacle hip implant lawsuit against DePuy Orthopaedics Inc., Johnson & Johnson, and other related companies, alleging that the Pinnacle hip replacement is defective.

In June 2010, Amanda says she had her left hip replaced with the Pinnacle hip implant system. She claims that due to complications associated with the implant, she needed revision surgery in July 2011. Amanda argues that her complications were associated with the Pinnacle implant design defects.

The Pinnacle hip replacement system is a metal-on-metal implant system made from titanium and cobalt. The implant system reportedly uses “TruGlide technology”, allowing the body to form lubrication between surfaces which “enhances performance with smooth, natural motion and less friction.”

The DePuy Pinnacle hip implant lawsuit claims that the replacement system is defective due to the release of metal debris. Regular wear allegedly results in metallic ions in the blood which can cause serious complications.

Potential complications named in the DePuy Pinnacle hip implant lawsuit include tissue damage, metallosis, tissue death, bone erosion, the development of pseudotumors, elevated cobalt and chromium levels, component loosening, component locking, dislocation, and particulate debris resulting in severe inflammation, severe pain, tissue and bone loss, and other related diseases.

“Implantation of the Pinnacle Hip results in the nearly immediate systemic release of high levels of toxic metal cobalt-chromium ions into every hip implant patient’s tissue and bloodstream,” the DePuy Pinnacle hip implant lawsuit states. “This is because cobalt-chromium metal particles are released by friction from the metal femoral head rotating within the metal liner.”

Amanda argues that DePuy Pinnacle manufacturers knew or should have known that the hip implant was defective and did not conduct proper testing when seeking FDA approval. The DePuy Pinnacle hip implant lawsuit reports that the hip replacement was approved by proving the device “substantially equivalent” to a pre-existed approved device on the market.

The complaint also claims that Amanda will be at greater risk for further complications after undergoing revision surgery.

“Several studies have found that revision surgery has a much higher risk of dislocation compared with an original hip replacement surgery,” the DePuy Pinnacle hip implant lawsuit states. One study conducted at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston found that “hip replacement patients who have undergone a revision surgery are almost four times more likely to suffer from a hip dislocation than those who have not.”

Amanda accuses the defendants of failure to warn, negligence, design defect, manufacturing defect, breach of warranties, negligent misrepresentation, and fraud. Amanda’s husband Frank has brought claims of loss of consortium. The DePuy Pinnacle hip implant lawsuit seeks compensation for medical expenses, past and future loss of earnings, general damages, punitive damages, court costs, and attorneys’ fees.

The DePuy Pinnacle Hip Implant Lawsuit is Case No. 3:18-cv-01621-K and is part of the Pinnacle MDL, In re: DePuy Orthopaedics Inc. Pinnacle Hip Implant Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 3:11-MD-2244, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas.