A woman has filed a DePuy ASR hip implant lawsuit after allegedly needing revision surgery.

Plaintiff Victoria H. says she received a DePuy ASR hip implant in her right hip in August 2007. She alleges that pain and complications led her to have the artificial hip explanted in July 2017.

DePuy Orthopaedics is a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, which has already pledged $4 billion to settle 8,000 other ASR hip implant lawsuits. The ASR hip implant system has been the subject of a recall since August 2010.

The DePuy ASR hip implant system has been linked to a myriad of adverse side effects that have resulted in debilitation for many patients. The metal-on-metal artificial hip system makes use of different types of metals that work against each other. One component made of a titanium alloy rubs against another component made of cobalt and chromium.

When these differing metals scrape against each other with the micro-motion that occurs in the hip, tiny particles of cobalt and chromium may wear away and settle into nearby tissues.

ASR Hip Implant Lawsuit Allegations

The small particles of metal invoke an inflammatory response by the body. The metal fragments that settle into the nearby tissue cause the body to react to the foreign matter. Swelling, inflammation, and pseudotumors caused by the lymphatic system sending fluids to the area as a way to try to flush the metal particles out of the body can result in pain and mobility issues.

Side effects from the metals burrowing into the nearby tissue can result in the death of that affected tissue.

Metal ions can leach toxins into the bloodstream, which can be measured through a simple blood test. The high amount of metals in the bloodstream can increase the risk of cancer in addition to causing metal poisoning.

This leaching of the metals has been linked to an increased risk of dilated cardiomyopathy, a condition that causes the heart muscle to enlarge. An enlarged heart is not effective at pumping blood. Symptoms include extreme fatigue, swollen legs, an irregular heartbeat or shortness of breath.

The metal-on-metal problems can lead to premature failure of the hip implant, requiring a revision surgery that often is riskier than the initial operation, especially if the metal poisoning has led to a loss of bone strength. Even removal of the old artificial hip components can be challenging if the bones are brittle or if scar tissue exists.

Problems removing the old hip implant components can cause issues when the surgeon tries to secure the positioning of a new hip implant system. A revision surgery places a patient at higher risk of post-operative complications such as blood clots and infection.

Nearly 93,000 DePuy ASR hip implants around the world have been subject to the recall. At least 37,000 of those affect patients in the United States.

The ASR Hip Implant Lawsuit is Case No. 3:18-cv-02974 and is part of the DePuy ASR Hip Implant MDL, In re: DePuy Orthopaedics, Inc. ASR Hip Implant Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2197, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District Court of Ohio, Western Division.