Patients implanted with a faulty DePuy ASR hip implant may be in a position to claim compensation under the terms of a recent settlement.

The current settlement applies specifically to patients who since March 2015 underwent revision surgery due to problems with an ASR hip implant.

The process of making a claim can be complicated, however. A consultation with a knowledgeable hip implant attorney can help claimants navigate the claims process to get the compensation they deserve.

The DePuy ASR implant has a history of trouble. In August 2010, the FDA issued a mandatory recall of 93,000 ASR implants worldwide after the National Joint Registry of England and Wales reported that 13 percent of patients implanted with an ASR ended up needing revision surgery.

Problems with the ASR Hip Implant

Several different kinds of complications have been reported in conjunction with the ASR hip implant. These complications are similar to those reported with the DePuy Pinnacle and other implants that use a metal-on-metal design.

One problem associated with metal-on-metal implants like the ASR is metallosis, a toxic reaction to the presence of metal inside the body. Bearing surfaces of the ASR implant cause metal parts to work in contact with each other. This action can cause metal particles to flake off and become loose in the body.

The loose metal can lead to metal poisoning, which can damage the surrounding bone and muscle tissue. Some patients have suffered a loss of bone strength that can make them more susceptible to fractures. Other patients have reported an allergic reaction to the loose metal.

Loose metal particles can also lead to pseudotumors, non-cancerous growths that can form near the implant site. The emission of toxic substances from implants can also increase a patient’s risk of cancer and cardiomyopathy, a degenerative heart disease.

Patients have also reported mechanical problems with their implants such as looseness and dislocation.

Problems like these can require patients to undergo revision surgery to remove and replace the faulty implant. Revision surgery tends to be more involved than the original implantation surgery. Patients who undergo revision may face a greater risk of complications and a longer recovery time.

Settling Claims over the ASR Implant

Complications as serious and widespread as these have put DePuy and its parent company Johnson & Johnson on the receiving end of thousands of hip implant lawsuits.

At first, J&J worked out settlements for a few individual claims, offering settlement amounts in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. Then In November 2013, J&J reportedly settled most other pending ASR lawsuits for a total of $4 billion.

New claims kept rolling in, however, and in March 2015 J&J reportedly agreed to settle a second round of claims worth $420 million.

Now patients who have suffered new complications from the ASR implant have another opportunity to claim compensation. Products liability attorneys are interested in speaking with those who have had a stem revision performed since March 2015 due to a faulty DePuy ASR hip implant. Qualifying persons may be entitled to a settlement payment.