Another metal-on-metal hip implant is the subject of a personal injury lawsuit. Another metal-on-metal hip implant is the subject of a personal injury lawsuit. According to a complaint filed last month in Louisiana federal court, Francoie Stephens had to have his Zimmer Durom Cup hip implant removed just three years after he received it due to […]
Another metal-on-metal hip implant is the subject of a personal injury lawsuit. Another metal-on-metal hip implant is the subject of a personal injury lawsuit. According to a complaint filed last month in Louisiana federal court, Francoie Stephens had to have his Zimmer Durom Cup hip implant removed just three years after he received it due to complications that included metal contamination of his blood.
All-metal hip implants have come under increasing scrutiny since the recall last August of the DePuy ASR hip implant. That device was recalled because of a high number of early failures. In some cases, wearing of the implants’ metal components has caused it to shed high levels of cobalt and chromium into recipients’ bloodstream.
Earlier this year, the growing concern over all-metal hip implants prompted the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) to order DePuy, Zimmer and 19 other implant makers to conduct safety studies of their metal-on-metal hip implants.
In July 2008, Zimmer suspended US sales of the Durom Cup following complaints about device failures due to loosened components that required revision surgery. Stephens received his implant a year before that occurred, in 2007.
Such complications, including elevated levels of chromium and cobalt in his blood, forced Stephens to undergo revision surgery to have the Zimmer Durom Cup removed. He alleges that the device contained one or more defects that made it unreasonably dangerous and unfit for its intended use.
In 2008, Zimmer’s own estimates suggested that some doctors in the US experienced failure rates as high as 5.7 percent with the Durom Cup. However, some Zimmer Durom Cup lawsuits claim the failure rate could be as high as 30 percent.
The personal injury attorneys at Parker Waichman offer free, no-obligation case evaluations. For more information, fill out our online form or call 1-800-YOURLAWYER (1-800-968-7529).