DePuy Orthopaedics, Inc., a Johnson & Johnson subsidiary, faces a recent DePuy Pinnacle lawsuit, joining an increasing number of lawsuits being filed against the company.

Plaintiff Ian S. filed the DePuy Pinnacle lawsuit alleging serious injuries that he suffered after becoming implanted with the Pinnacle hip implant replacement system. Ian is a resident and citizen of the state of Illinois who says he  underwent a right and left total hip arthroplasty procedure on July 27, 2009. The Pinnacle device he was implanted with had an Ultamet liner.

According to the DePuy Pinnacle lawsuit, after the surgery “friction and wear between the cobalt-chromium metal head and cobalt-chromium metal liner caused large amounts of toxic cobalt-chromium metal ions and particles to be released into … [Ian’s] blood and tissue and bone surrounding the implant.”

As a result, Ian experienced “inflammation, pain and discomfort, including when ambulating or moving to and from a sitting position,” the lawsuit states.

Due to adverse side effects and complications, Ian says that he had the left and right hip implants explanted on Aug. 31, 2015. Claims made allege that the injuries and complications were caused by the defective design and “unreasonably dangerous character” of the Pinnacle device.

Ian also claims that had he known of the complications and unreasonable risks associated with the device, he would have never consented to having the Pinnacle Device used in his total hip arthroplasty.

The DePuy Pinnacle lawsuit was filed on multiple counts including negligence, manufacturing defect, design defect, inadequate warning, breach of express warranty, breach of implied warranty, negligent misrepresentation, and fraud.

The plaintiff demands a trial by jury.

Overview: DePuy Pinnacle

Thousands of complaints have been filed against the makers of the Pinnacle Acetabular Cup System. The device was reportedly manufactured to increase a patient’s mobility and range of motion. However, the device, manufactured by DePuy Orthopaedics, as a metal-on-metal (MoM) device may cause patients to suffer a serious number of adverse side effects and complications.

Since its introduction and approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2001, the DePuy Pinnacle device has been linked to severe injuries and complications causing patients to undergo revision surgery or explantation of the device. In fact, since the device’s approval by the FDA, there have been more than 1,300 adverse event reports filed. The device was initially designed to help replace diseased and damaged hip joints which may have been caused by rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, necrosis and even fracture.

Most notably, patients who become implanted with the device have reportedly developed metallosis, biologic toxicity and face early and high failure rates. According to the DePuy Pinnacle lawsuit, the high failure rate is “due to the release of metal particles in the patient’s surrounding tissue when the cobalt-chromium metal formal head rotates within the cobalt-chromium metal acetabular liner.”

Other adverse side effects and complications associated with the Pinnacle hip implant device has included the following:

• Hip pain
• Loosening of the Pinnacle Hip Device
• Trouble standing or walking
• Difficulty weight bearing
• Hip revision surgery
• Metal poisoning, also known as metallosis

The DePuy Pinnacle Lawsuit is Case No. 3:18-cv-01733-K, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, Dallas Division.