A Connecticut man is suing DePuy, claiming that his Pinnacle hip replacement was defective and caused him to undergo revision surgery.

Plaintiff couple Edward C. and Susan C.’s Pinnacle hip replacement lawsuit claims that Edward was implanted with a hip system manufactured by DePuy in June 2007.

The couple alleges that not too long after the Pinnacle hip replacement surgery, the metal-on-metal hip system began to wear. They claim that the cobalt and chromium metal head of the Pinnacle hip replacement and the cobalt and chromium metal liner “caused large amounts of toxic cobalt-chromium metal ions and particles to be released into Plaintiff’s blood and tissue and bone surrounding the implants.”

According to their Pinnacle hip replacement lawsuit, Edward began experiencing severe pain and discomfort at the site of the implant and inflammation in the area as well.

He claims that because of the pain he was suffering, he was forced to undergo revision surgery to replace his right hip in 2016. Hip replacements are intended to last upward of twenty years. Edward’s did not last half that long, and he experienced severe pain during the time of his Pinnacle hip replacement.

Revision surgery is more complicated than the original arthroplasty surgeries, and it often comes with much more risk and potential complications.

He alleges that he did not know about the possible causal link between the Pinnacle hip replacement and the injuries he suffered. He believes that there has been “wrongdoing on the part of Defendants due to the faulty and defective nature of the Pinnacle Device and to the failure of Defendants to properly warn him and his physicians about the Pinnacle Device’s defective and faulty nature.”

The plaintiffs in this Pinnacle hip replacement lawsuit claim that the injuries and complications that Edward suffered were as a result of the lack of adequate warnings, defective design, construction and dangerous character of his implant. He believes that DePuy concealed the known defects of their Pinnacle hip replacement device and that if he had known of the risks, he would not have chosen to have that particular device implanted.

Metal-on-metal hip replacement systems have been connected with a host of problems. These include a higher risk of cancer because toxic materials can leak from the implant, degenerative heart disease, cardiomyopathy, and non-cancerous tumors.

These non-cancerous tumors can cause pain and inflammation,  as well as premature failure of the device. Often, this premature failure can lead to the need for revision surgery, as was true in Edward’s case.

Additionally, a condition Edward suffered from has also been reported in others who have the Pinnacle hip replacement system. Metallosis is the poisoning of tissue and blood because metal debris is shed into the area surrounding the implant site.

The plaintiffs believe that DePuy is liable for negligence, failure to warn, manufacturing defect, design defect, negligent misrepresentation, breach of express warranty, breach of implied warranty, fraud and loss of consortium.

This Pinnacle Hip Replacement Lawsuit is Case No. 3:17-cv-02136-K in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas, Dallas Division.