A couple from Pennsylvania recently filed a metal hip implant lawsuit against Zimmer Biomet Inc., alleging the all metal hip replacement system permanently impacted their lives.

The metal hip implant complications alleged in this lawsuit are typical of injury reports submitted to the FDA and addressed in thousands of other product liability lawsuits.

Plaintiff couple Russell B. and Robalee B. jointly filed this metal hip implant lawsuit which claims Zimmer failed to warn them against the allegedly defective nature of their metal on metal hip implant. According to the claim, Russell underwent total left hip replacement surgery on Sept. 22, 2014.

While Russell reportedly responded well to the device after surgery, he alleges that after surgery he experienced worsening pain that eventually interfered with his ability to walk. According to the metal hip implant lawsuit, he was diagnosed with “elevated metal levels” and had a “significant pseudotumor” allegedly due to the Zimmer Hip System.

Russell says he eventually had to undergo revision surgery to fix these complications on July 7, 2017, with the surgeons noting a “gross failure of left hip replacement with pseudotumor formation and gross destruction of the abductors” of the Zimmer Hip System.

Russell has been contending with the effects of the metal hip implant failure and opted to file legal action after discovering that Zimmer either knew or should have known about the potential metal hip implant complications patients could suffer.

Overview of Metal on Metal Hip Implant Problems

Metal-on-metal hip replacement systems consist of all-metal hip implant components with no ceramic or plastic parts between the metal. While popular among patients needing to undergo hip replacement surgery, these devices have been linked to numerous device complications.

When the all metal ball-and-socket joint components interact, metal ions are shed into the bloodstream and can severely compound the patient’s health. Also known as metallosis, or blood metal poisoning, this condition can lead to a multitude of other health problems including but not limited to:

• Debilitating pain
• Limited range of motion
• Infection
• Tissue death
• Formation of pseudotumors
• Degenerative heart disease
• Cancer

According to the FDA
, there have been multiple studies and similar concerns from other countries regarding the concerns surrounding metal hip implant complications.

An example of this comes from a 2010 announcement by the United Kingdom’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), which included specific follow-up instructions for patients who received metal on metal hip implants, including blood tests that look for elevated metal levels.

These complications often force patients to undergo revision surgery which can be riskier than the initial procedure.

Even though these complications can be devastating to patients, Zimmer allegedly failed to warn the general public of these problems. According to the metal hip implant lawsuit, Russell would not have agreed to have the all-metal hip replacement system implanted if he knew about the potential device complications.

Russell and Robalee are seeking a multitude of damages in their metal hip implant lawsuit, including counts of negligence.

This Metal Hip Implant Lawsuit is Case No. 2:19-cv-00181-AJS, in the U.S. District Court for Western Pennsylvania.