DePuy Pinnacle Hip Implant
DePuy Pinnacle Hip Implant Could Result In Revision Surgery Lawsuits
DePuy Pinnacle Hip Implant | Lawsuits, Lawyers | Side Effects: Osteolysis, Osteomylitis, Revision Surgery, Hip Pain, Thigh Pain, Groin Pain, Revision Surgery, Severe Swelling, Disabling Pain, Loosening of Implant, Early Failure | Defective Medical Device, Metal-on-Metal Implants, Faulty Implant
Aggregate Pinnacle Complaints Reported to FDA
According to the latest FDA Adverse Event Reports (AERs), as of September 30, 2011, 709 DePuy Pinnacle FDA AERs were reported from July-September 2011 compared to 556 from January-June 2011 and 556 reported in all of 2010. The total of AERs for Pinnacle is 2,570 (450 have been confirmed to have a metal liner)
Aggregate Pinnacle Complaints Metal-on-Metal
The total number of Pinnacle implant AERs for 2011 is 1,265 (450 confirmed metal) The estimate is that DePuy is on track to have over 1,700 Pinnacle AERs as compared to 556 in 2010 and 315 in 2009 (271 com=nfirmed metal and 135 confirmed metal, respectively). the most recent data continues to show no apparent problems with polyethylene liners with only six AERs having been identified with a polyethylene liner.
DePuy Orthopaedic's Pinnacle Acetabular Cup System, a metal-on-metal hip implant system, may be associated with premature failure and other complications. Our firm is currently investigating complaints regarding DePuy Pinnacle hip implant problems including severe swelling, disabling pain, loosening of the implant, and early failures that result in a need for revision surgery. If you have experienced complications following hip replacement surgery that involved the DePuy Pinnacle Acetabular Cup System, we would like you to contact us immediately.
The ways in which the DePuy ASR hip implant can fail include: Loosening of the various components in the implant;
- Necrosis (premature death of body tissue) or soft tissue damage due to exposure to metal particles due to wear of the implant;
- Elevated cobalt and chromium levels in the blood due to wear of the implant.
- Severe pain in implant, radiating into the groin and/or back
- Radiographic changes including loosening and lysis (dissolution or destruction of cells) or osteolysis
- Fluid collections and cystic or solid masses around the joint
1. Patient with a failed total hip replacement with considerable proximal femoral bone loss, proximal migration of the greater trochanter and breakage of multiple screws distally from the previous interlocking device.
2. Surgeons revised the hip implant with a constrained acetabular component and cemented a proximal femoral replacement into the distal femur.
Victims of DePuy Pinnacle hip implant complications could be eligible to receive compensation for medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering. Lawyers at our firm who specialize in defective medical devices are offering free lawsuit evaluations to anyone who has suffered an injury following implantation of a DePuy Pinnacle hip replacement. To find out how we can help you, please contact one of our DePuy Pinnacle hip implant lawyers today.
DePuy Pinnacle Hip Implant Complications
Broken head of hip implant (upper left) and pieces of broken ceramic material embedded into tissue (lower right) due to wearing of hip implant which may lead to Osteolysis and bone breakage.
The DePuy Pinnacle hip replacement is a metal-on-metal device in which the articulating surfaces are made from cobalt-chrome. This design purportedly offers high wear resistance and has much smaller debris particles than those with metal-on-plastic devices. However, metal-on-metal hip implants like the DePuy Pinnacle device are increasingly causing concerns.
1. A radiograph of the pelvis demonstrates area of wear of the acetabular liner, with superolateral displacement of the femoral head (red arrow). Large radiolucent area superior to the acetabular companent (yellow arrow), and bony resorption of the proximal medial femur adjacent to the insertion site of the femoral prosthetic companent (green arrow).
2. Changes not seen in first film.
According to the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA), because the metal ball and the metal cup on these types of hip implants slide against each other during walking or running, some tiny metal particles may wear off of the device and enter into the space around the implant. Some of the metal ions from the metal implant or from the metal particles may even get into the bloodstream. It is known that over time, the metal particles around some implants can cause damage to bone and/or tissue surrounding the implant and joint. According to the FDA, this is sometimes referred to as an “adverse local tissue reaction (ALTR)” or an “adverse reaction to metal debris (ARMD).” Such a reaction may cause the implant to become loose or cause pain. Ultimately this can require a revision surgery where the old device is removed and replaced with another one," the FDA has said.
Recent lawsuits involving the DePuy Pinnacle hip implant allege design defects similar to those detailed by the FDA that may make the devices susceptible to premature failure. Some of the problems that have sparked the filing of DePuy Pinnacle hip implant lawsuits include:
- Unexplained Hip Pain
- Difficulty Standing or Walking
- Loss of Mobility
- Loosening of a DePuy Pinnacle Hip
- Hip Replacement Failure
- Additional Hip Revision Surgery
1. Loose total hip replacement
2. Right hip revision hip replacement to correct loosened hip implant.
In 2010, the FDA's Adverse Event Reporting System received nearly 550 reports of problems in patients who had received a DePuy Pinnacle hip replacement. Many of those reports involved complaints of disabling hip and groin pain, doctors finding metal particles and signs of metallosis during revision surgery, and reports of acetabular cups moving out of position.
1. Osteolysis involves wear particles (worn off the contact surface of the artificial ball and socket joint). As the body attempts to clean up these wear particles (typically consisting of plastic or metal) it triggers an autoimmune reaction which causes resorption of living bone tissue. Osteolysis has been reported to occur as early as 12 months after implantation and is usually progressive. This may require a revision surgery (replacement of the prosthesis).
2. Aseptic loosening of a hip implant. Note the radiolucencies next to the implant, a result of osteolytic bone loss.
In August 2010, DePuy Orthopaedics issued a recall for two other metal-on-metal hip implant systems, the ASR XL Acetabular System and the ASR Hip Resurfacing System, for the same types of problems allegedly associated with DePuy Pinnacle hip implants. Despite the similar complaints, however, no DePuy Pinnacle hip implant recall has yet been issued.
Legal Help for Victims of the DePuy Pinnacle Hip Implants
If you or a loved one received a DePuy Pinnacle hip implant, and you've suffered complications, including failure of the implant requiring revision surgery, you may have valuable legal rights. To find out how our DePuy Pinnacle hip implant lawyers can help you, please fill out our online form, or call 1 800 LAW INFO (1-800-529-4636) today.
