Metal Upon Metal Hip Implant Dangers to be Further Investigated by Feds
Over the last year, as an experienced Pennsylvania DePuy hip replacement lawyer who is litigating a good number of defective hip implant cases, I have spoken with hundreds of individuals who had safety and medical issues as a result of metal on metal hip implants.
Our PA product liability law firm is currently representing many individuals who received the DePuy ASR hip implant and finally, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has agreed to call a two day meeting starting this week to scrutinize the safety of all metal on metal implants following numerous patient reports of pain and swelling that many times requires surgical removal of the devices.
Although medical science is far from perfect, our experts and the FDA apparently have reason to believe that the metal on metal hip implants may actually be more dangerous than its predecessors. Prior to metal on metal hip implants, the stems and sockets of hip implants were made from plastic or ceramic materials.
In Europe, experts and governmental bureaus began to notice problems with metal on metal hip implants and found that many patients had metallic poisoning and the newer metal upon metal implants had to be replaced more often than other implants. Typically, a hip replacement is supposed to last 10 to 15 years but many of the patients with metal hip implants needed replacements in 5 years. 2% of the people with ceramic or plastic joints prior to the usage of metal implants were found to experience less problems and a longer time lapse between replacements.
Approximately 500,000 Americans have received metal upon metal hip implants. A well-known expert claimed that other hip implant alternatives on the market are most likely safer and more effective than metal on metal hip implants. The FDA statistics indicate that they have received 16,800 event reports concerning metal hip problems between 2000 and 2011. However, many patients and doctors do not report problems to the FDA, so this number may be inaccurate.
The Pennsylvania product liability firm of Reiff & Bily is currently investigating all metal hip implant cases and is actively moving forward with the prosecution of DePuy ASR hip implant cases. We are making all clients aware that there are definite time limitations under law in which to successfully bring a potential claim if their legal interests are to be properly protected. If you notice increasing pain and elevation of metal levels in your blood and a failure of the metal upon metal hip implant within a short period of time after implantation, our Pennsylvania DePuy hip implant lawyers always offer a free, no obligation consultation toll free at (800) 421-9595 or online at www.reiffandbily.com.
