A man filed a recent Pinnacle hip implant lawsuit, joining a growing number of consumers filing complaints against the makers of the hip implant device, DePuy Orthopaedics over adverse side effects and complications.

Plaintiff Guy A. files the Pinnacle hip implant lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Texas. He filed the lawsuit on Nov. 5, 2018, demanding a trial by jury.

According to the Pinnacle hip implant lawsuit, Guy, a resident of Las Vegas, Nev., says that he first underwent a left-side total hip replacement surgery at Houston Methodist Hospital on April 7, 2008. During the surgery, he was implanted with a DePuy Pinnacle Acetabular Cup and a metal liner, the Pinnacle hip implant lawsuit states, manufactured by DePuy Orthopaedics.

However, he says that soon after the implantation he suffered severe injuries. He files the Pinnacle hip implant lawsuit on multiple counts including negligence, manufacturing defect, design defect, inadequate warning, failure to conform to representations, failure to adequately test, breach of express warranty, breach of implied warranty, fraudulent concealment, intentional misrepresentation, and negligent misrepresentation.

Overview: Pinnacle Hip Implant Issues

The Pinnacle hip replacement device was first introduced to the market in 2001. However, a number of severe adverse side effects and complications have been linked to the Pinnacle hip implant system, leading thousands of patients to file lawsuits against the device’s manufacturer, DePuy Orthopaedics. These side effects include:

• Hip pain
• Loosening of the Pinnacle Hip Device
• Trouble standing or walking
• Difficulty weight bearing
• Hip revision surgery
• Metal poisoning, also known as metallosis

The Pinnacle device was manufactured and designed to help replace patient’s diseased or damaged hip joints that can occur from factors such as osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, fracture, and avascular necrosis. However, since the device’s first approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), there have been more than 1,300 adverse event reports filed.

The device’s approval was granted via the FDA’s premarket process known as the 510(k) process. The system bases its approval on “grandfathered” devices that are currently being sold or have been already approved by the FDA. This approval system does not require heavy clinical studies to be conducted. Critics say this process undermines the assurance that devices are in fact safe and effective.

The Pinnacle hip device’s approval through the 510(k) process is believed to be what has led to the extraordinary number of adverse event reports received by the FDA.

What causes severe adverse side effects in the rubbing of the metal parts of the device against one another. This can cause metal shavings to be released into the hip joint, surrounding tissues, and bloodstream, which ultimately leads to further side effects and complications such as loosening, inflammation, and metallosis, or blood poisoning.

There are many symptoms that can indicate the faultiness or defectiveness of a Pinnacle hip replacement device. Some of these symptoms may include:

• Swelling and soft tissue damage
• Loosening of the hip implant
• Additional hip revision surgery
• Unexplained tumors
• Unexplained hip pain
• Difficulty standing or walking

Guy’s Pinnacle Hip Implant Lawsuit is Case No. 3:18-cv-02947-K, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, Dallas Division. Other plaintiffs who suffered Pinnacle Hip complications can file lawsuits, or join the DePuy Pinnacle MDL,  In re: DePuy Orthopaedics, Inc. Pinnacle Hip Implant Products Liability Litigation, No. 3:11 md 2244.