When an orthopedic surgeon consults with a patient and helps them choose the type of prosthetic hip joint to use, it may be helpful to consider some of the DePuy hip replacement problems recipients have reported.

The DePuy ASR XL prosthetic had been used in 90,000 total hip arthroplasties (THAs) prior to being recalled in late August 2010 by parent company Johnson & Johnson Inc.

The manufacturer was quick to replace this choice with its Pinnacle hip system in the marketplace—a device that has also been linked to DePuy hip replacement problems.

Hip Prosthetic Performance and Complaints

DePuy hip replacement problems with ASR XL and the Pinnacle hip system largely center around the materials that are used to make the devices. As indicated by Regenexx, shedding debris from artificial joints should be a primary concern with any patient facing a THR.

Metal-on-metal (MOM) prosthetics are units whose all metal components articulate directly with one another. MOM hips, like the ASR XL and Pinnacle system and others, have been one of the worst offenders in terms of creating friction-based shed debris. The minuscule metal shards created from the friction have reportedly been found to embed themselves in surrounding tissues and create non-malignant tumors and inflammation causing severe pain and often contributing to prosthetic failure.

MOM hips are made from chromium, cobalt, stainless steel, titanium, or combination alloys of all of the above. The metal debris over time has also been found to leach into the bloodstream and cause an elevated metal ion condition known as metallosis.

Metallosis not only causes pain and interferes with range of motion, it can—if left untreated—contribute to a type of heart disease known as cardiomyopathy, as well as certain kinds of cancer.

When ASR XL hip prosthetics began to fail, patients who were opened up for hip revision surgery were reportedly found to have highly irritated tissues with genetically damaged cells from attempting to absorb debris. Often non-cancerous masses were pressing on nerves supplying the region, amplifying pain and further contributing to ambulatory problems.

Was the Pinnacle System More of the Same?

According to Bloomberg, the Pinnacle hip system has been under fire in federal court. DePuy and Johnson & Johnson have been ordered to pay out $1.7 billion in damages at the behest of Dallas juries.

Recipients of the prosthetic claim that the prosthetic was rushed to market without adequate safety testing, while the manufacturer contends that it very responsibly evaluated the device before releasing it.

The Pinnacle hip replacements are not included in the $2.5 billion dollar settlement agreed upon for the ASR XL. To date, the Pinnacle metal-on-metal hip lawsuits have been consolidated in federal court, but a global settlement has not been in process of negotiation. Johnson & Johnson has been settling individual cases presented.