Depuy Pinnacle Lawsuit

The DePuy Pinnacle recall might be imminent just like what happened to DePuy ASR hip implant as more than 1300 protests since Novemeber 2010 have been brought to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) about the product. An intolerable hip pain, which may be a sign of metallosis in the hip joint, is one of the most common reason for the reports. Arhtroscopic hip surgery may be a safer and less troublesome management of hip problems, there are some cases when a hip replacement is deemed necessary.

Metallosis is the assumed medical condition where there is an accumulation of metal debris in the soft tissues of the body. The presence of a metal- on-metal device inside once body is one of the predisposing factors of metallosis. Device like a defective DePuy Pinnacle Hip Replacement might put you at such situation when it is installed in your system.

The friction produced by the rubbing of the 2 metal components of this device cast off tiny bits of metallic substance As these bits of metal ions collect on the nearby tissues, the body is then activated. The body’s reaction, particularly the immune system, has been theorized to cause the inflammation of the surrounding tissue.

The general symptoms of metallosis are:

- Pain around the affected area

- Trouble walking

- Pseudotomors (resembles a mass of inflamed cells or tumors but are actually an accumulation of fluids)

- A visible rash that implies necrosis (premature death of cells or body tisse)

- Bone around the implant dissolves or “melts away” (osteolysis)

- Loosening of the implant

- High cobalt and/or chromium volumes in the blood

The signs of metallosis could also mean other adverse events such as the dislocation of the parts of the device or the fracture of the hip bone on the area of the affected joint. Unfortunately, metallosis might predispose you to more adverse effects. Like in the case of too much cobalt and/or chromium levels in the blood which could result in critical neurological illnesses or more seriously cancer.

The only treatment to prevent further sloughing or metallic ions to the body is the revision surgery. Due to the extent of the metallosis to the surrounding tissue of the device, succeeding surgeries may have lower success rates. Therefore, it is essential for metallosis to diagnosed and corrected early to prevent more adverse incidences from happening.

Ask your doctor immediately once you feel even the smallest signs of a hip implant problem. Additionally, for legal issues, as long as you have strong evidence that you have suffered injuries as a result of patronizing the product, you may be able to file a DePuy Pinnacle Lawsuit.

Related article:

Rottenstein Law Group Enlisting the Power of Search Engines and Social Media to Spread the Word About Hip Replacement Recalls (prweb.com)

In the United States, hip fractures are a common injury. The elderly are more predisposed to hip fracture injuries, especially if they have co-morbid conditions such as osteoporosis or osteoarthritis. Although there are some types of hip fractures more likely to undergo total hip replacements over others, the choice of surgical intervention is based on the patient’s age, the location of the fracture, and the surgeon’s assessment. Patients that need total hip replacement surgery should understand the risks associated with the procedure and with the types of devices that are utilized. Recent reports have indicated serious problems with the Pinnacle hip replacement causing DePuy Pinnacle lawsuits.

There are three classifications of hip fractures that are identified according to their locations: femoral neck fractures, intertrochanteric fractures, and subtrochanteric fractures. Femoral neck fractures occur in the region of the femur between the femoral head proximally and the greater and lesser trochanters distally. These types of fractures are intracapsular, which means they occur within the hip joint and beneath the fibrous joint capsule. Intertrochanteric fractures are breaks of the femur between the greater and lesser trochanters. In contrast to femoral neck fractures, intertrochanteric fractures are extracapsular and occur outside the hip joint’s fibrous capsule. Subtrochanteric fractures occur between the lesser trochanter and the femoral isthmus in the part of the femoral shaft closest to the point of attachment. Though they are less common than femoral neck and intertrochanteric fractures, they are less stable and more difficult to fix.

Although all three types require surgical intervention, all three do not require a total hip replacement. Femoral neck fractures are more ideally suited for total hip replacements. With intertrochanteric and subtrochanteric fractures, total hip replacement surgery is only required if severe complications (e.g., nonunion, secondary displacement, avascular necrosis), cause the failure of the initial surgery.

The most common location for a hip fracture is the femoral neck, which accounts for 45-53% of all hip fractures. Total hip replacement is recommended in this type of fracture for younger, more active patients, and for patients with preexisting arthritis. DePuy Orthopaedics introduced metal-on-metal hip replacement devices onto the market for younger patients wanting to maintain an active lifestyle after surgery. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has currently received over 1,300 complaints associated with the Pinnacle hip replacement with the majority of these focusing on the premature loosening of the device from the bone, which leads to device failure and multiple DePuy Pinnacle lawsuits.

In the past, DePuy has allocated almost $1 billion for patients suffering harm from their devices. To find out if you could pursue a DePuy Pinnacle lawsuit to get compens ated for your injuries, visit the DePuy Pinnacle Lawsuit website for a free consultation with an experienced lawyer.