A recent DePuy hip replacement lawsuit claims that the Pinnacle implant is defective and causes serious implant failure.

Plaintiff Nancy V. says she was implanted with the Pinnacle hip device in February 2006. After her surgery, Nancy allegedly experienced “debilitating pain, discomfort, and soreness” which she claims was caused by the defective hip implant.

Due to her age, she says she has been told she is not a candidate for revision surgery. Instead, Nancy says she is now forced to endure future pain and discomfort as a result of the implant’s defects.

Pinnacle Hip System

The Pinnacle hip replacement implant was launched in 2001 and was designed to replace joints damaged by fracture, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and avascular necrosis. The device was reportedly marketed by DePuy as “[u]niquely designed to meet the demands of active patients like you –and help reduce pain”.

DePuy reportedly marketed their device as superior to others on the market due to its TrueGlide technology. This design reportedly allowed the body to create a thin, lubricating film between the implant surface, resulting in “a more fluid range of natural motion”. Together the implant’s design and TrueGlide technology were reportedly advertised to “[recreate] the natural ball-and-socket joint of your hip, increasing stability and range of motion.”

However, Nancy’s DePuy hip replacement lawsuit claims that the advertisements for the Pinnacle implant were false and did not reflect the defects of the device.

Metal Hip Problems

The Pinnacle device is made from entirely metal components which allegedly contributed to implant failure. Nancy argues that the implant components wear on each other, leading to the release of metal debris and subsequent complications.

In additional to metallosis(metal poisoning) characterized by high levels of cobalt and chromium in the blood, the defects associated with the Pinnacle device allegedly cause pain, inflammation, infection, formation of pseudotumors, tissue death, bone loss, and mobility issues.

In 2010, DePuy recalled their similar ASR XL Acetabular System and ASR Hip Resurfacing System. The ASR recall involved 93,000 units and cited high failure rate as the cause of the implant. However, despite recalling a similar device, DePuy allegedly refuses to acknowledge the hazards posed by the Pinnacle device.

“Despite the public knowledge to the contrary, Defendants’ continue to misrepresent the Pinnacle Device as a high-quality, safe and effective hip replacement product in their marketing and promotional materials,” Nancy argues. “This is despite the fact that Defendants have known for years that the Pinnacle Device poses a danger to patients that have it implanted.”

Complications associated with the Pinnacle device have reportedly resulted in over 1,300 adverse reports being filed with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and a number of defective hip lawsuits for manufacturers DePuy and Johnson & Johnson. Due to these reports, Nancy argues that DePuy either knows or should have known that their Pinnacle hip replacement implant was defective and caused injury. However, the company allegedly displays negligence by refusing to acknowledge the issue.

The DePuy Hip Replacement Lawsuit is Case No. 3:19-cv-00623-K and is part of the DePuy Pinnacle MDL, In re: DePuy Orthopaedics Inc Pinnacle Hip Implant Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 3:11-2244, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas.