If You Have a Metal Hip Implants There May Be a Reason to Be Concerned
According to a story published on March 4, 2010 in The New York Times, studies reveal that in some cases metal on metal hip implants can quickly begin to wear, generating metallic debris with deleterious effects. Some of the nation’s leading orthopedic surgeons have reduced or stopped the use of a popular category of artificial hips amid concerns that devices are causing severe tissue and bone damage in some patients, often requiring surgery within a year or two.
The device is known as a metal on metal implant and has been used in approximately one third of the 250,000 hip replacements performed annually in America. According to the study, the cause and scope of the problem is not clear but seems to indicate that in some cases the devices can quickly begin to wear, generating high volumes of metallic debris that is absorbed into the patient’s body which can touch off inflammatory reactions causing groin pain, death of tissue in the hip joint, and loss of surrounding bone. Many surgeons are concerned that they may only now be seeing the leading edge of a mounting problem.
The experienced Philadelphia medical malpractice and product liability lawyers at Reiff & Bily are well versed in the investigation and prosecution of defective implant cases resulting in injury or death and will continue to monitor and investigate the concerning issues arising from metal on metal hip implants.
