If your DePuy ASR hip implant system has failed and has resulted in you undergoing revision surgery since March 2015, you could be eligible for a new settlement for ASR hip implants.

An estimated 93,000 DePuy ASR hip implants were completed worldwide with 37,000 of those done in the U.S.

Johnson & Johnson’s DePuy ASR metal-on-metal hip implant has resulted in thousands of hip implant lawsuits since the FDA announced a voluntary recall in August 2010.

A report from the UK found that 13 percent of the ASR hips required revision surgeries.

Settlement for ASR Hip Implants Due to Failed Devices

Similar to other metal-on-metal hip implants, DePuy ASR causes tiny metal shavings to be released into the body, resulting in high cobalt or chromium levels in the blood. Metal poisoning, also known as metallosis, can lead to tissue death for the tissue surrounding the implant. The only way to reduce the poisoning is to have hip revision surgery to remove the offending metal parts.

Among other issues that have been linked to metal-on-metal hip systems:

• Degenerative heart disease or cardiomyopathy
• Impaired renal function
• Thyroid dysfunction
• Pseudotumors around the hip implant, causing pressure and inflammation
• Cancer due to toxic metals entering the system
• Dislocated hip
• Reduction in bone strength or structure, causing easy fracturing
• Complete failure of the hip implant requiring replacement soon after initial surgery

All of these complications are the same problems reported with the DePuy Pinnacle hip replacement system, which was the ASR’s metal-on-metal predecessor.

The FDA warns those who have received metal-on-metal hip implants to watch for the following symptoms of device failure:

• Pain while moving or walking
• Swelling in the hip or groin area
• Lumps near the hip
• Dislocation, or feeling the joint has slipped out of place
• Squeaking or popping noises while moving

Lawsuits and Settlements for Patients with Failed Implants

Nearly 8,000 lawsuits have been filed regarding the ASR XL Acetabular System and the Pinnacle Acetabular Cup system.

In the course of one trial, attorneys provided an internal Johnson & Johnson memo indicating that 40 percent of those who underwent ASR hip implant surgery would need revision surgery within only five years.

Johnson & Johnson management allegedly knew the ASR hip implant’s design was defective. Surgeons even had warned Johnson & Johnson to stop selling the ASR hip system.

In the first round of hip implant lawsuits regarding the ASR, Johnson & Johnson agreed to pay a combined $600,000 to settle three individual claims in 2012. Those three patients had hip revision surgeries after their DePuy ASR systems failed. Each of them had experienced pain, bone damage and other side effects.

So far, Johnson & Johnson has paid $4 billion to settle thousands of ASR hip replacement lawsuits.

The new settlement for ASR hip implants is complicated, but could find patients receiving up to $500,000 each for their DePuy ASR troubles.

If your failed ASR hip implant resulted in hip revision surgery since March 2015, you could qualify to take part in this new settlement for ASR hip implants.