Texas plaintiff John P. is suing Biomet Inc. for the injuries he allegedly suffered from their metal-on-metal hip implant, the M2A Magnum Hip Implant System. John claims that in direct result of the complications of the defendant’s product, he suffered debilitating pain and other long-term consequences.

The plaintiff first underwent right hip replacement surgery in July 2007, at which time the M2A Magnum Hip Replacement System was implanted. Like many patients with degrading hip bones, John had agreed to the replacement surgery after reading the defendant’s advertisements, since Biomet markets this metal hip implant to be superior and longer-lasting than its ceramic or plastic counterparts. Ideally, this hip implant would have allowed the plaintiff to return to routine and encouraged a more physically active lifestyle.

Unfortunately, this did not go this smoothly for the plaintiff, as he soon experienced complications from his Biomet metal hip implant. According to medical records, the ball-and-socket joint of the device had caused cobalt-chromium metal ions to enter into the patient’s bloodstream. This caused the tissue in the surgical area to become infected, leading to extreme pain and immobility for the John due to the blood-metal poisoning, or metallosis.

These metal hip implant side effects eventually became so severe that John was forced to undergo revision surgery and hip implant replacement in July 2014. Hip revision surgeries subject patients like the plaintiff to greater complications when compared to the risks of the initial metal hip implant surgery. As of now, it is unknown to what the full extent of the metal hip implant damage John has sustained, but medical experts state that the possibility for infection and device failure are still strong possibilities.

At no point in time before or after his hip implant procedures did Biomet warn John about the possible complications associated with the Magnum or other metal hip implants, the hip implant lawsuit alleges. Court records indicate that Biomet representatives had met with the plaintiff’s surgeons on multiple occasion to promote the M2A Magnum Hip Replacement System. These representatives assured the physicians that their product was safe and efficient, with a reputation of being long-lasting, along with a low failure rate. Furthermore, the defendant’s representatives did not adequately mention the potential side effects of metal hip implants, or any relevant studies, the Biomet hip implant lawsuit alleges.

John is filing legal action against Biomet for failing to protect him against the design defects of their product and for concealing vital safety information. Biomet allegedly knew about the complications the plaintiff suffered, but did nothing to warn him in advance. John claims had he known about these metal on metal hip implant complications beforehand, then he never would have chosen to use the M2A Magnum hip implant.

So for being allegedly responsible for manufacturing, selling, distributing, and marketing a dangerous product, John is suing Biomet Inc. The charges brought forth in this metal hip implant lawsuit include: negligence, false advertising, concealing information, and misrepresenting a product.

This Metal Hip Lawsuit is In Re: Biomet M2A Magnum Hip Implant Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2391, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana, South Bend Division.

Overview of Metal Hip Implant Complications

Like many metal-on-metal hip implants, the M2A Magnum Hip Implant had entered the market with a strong promotional campaign. Biomet advertised their product to be far superior to the plastic and ceramic models by being made of stronger material that is also less likely to wear. However, this statement may prove false; according to several adverse event reports and lawsuits, the metal ball-and-socket joints actually had a tendency to corrode inside the patients body.

The Magnum hip implant corrosion could cause infection in the surgical area, allow for the formation of pseudotumors, and ultimately result in device failure. As mentioned before, the metal ions would cause the patient to become ill with metallosis, necessitating immediate medical treatment.

Before patients and the medical community became aware of these complications, metal-on-metal hip implants were extremely popular in the orthopaedic community. Most of them could be custom fitted to each patient’s frame and could handle more physically straining activities like running and other forms of exercise.

Many experts believe that these unexpected complications could have been avoided if these metal hip implants had been forced to go through proper pretrial testing before market release. Most of these devices were released under the FDA’s 510(k) policy, which allows for a device that is shown to work at an equivalent level with a similar product already on the market to be sold to consumers.