Philadelphia Injury Attorney Blog

The DePuy ASR hip replacement system was described in marketing literature as “high performance metal upon metal bearings” which touted reduced wear as one of the product’s main benefits over competing products. Unfortunately, many individuals who received implants of the DePuy ASR hip replacement device suffered significant injury and problems when the acetabular components failed to properly affix to the patient’s bones and the implants generated excessive metal debris resulting oftentimes in pain and burning in the hips and surrounding areas of recipients.

Many of the defective DePuy ASR implant patients were required to have a secondary revision surgery to remove the implants due to immune reactions to metal debris or shavings in the body resulting from the metal upon metal bearings. Some of the symptoms experienced by DePuy implant patients included abnormal fluid and necrotic tissue as well as infected bones secondary to matalosis, a disease that destroys tissue surrounding the artificial joint. Many individuals sustained foreign body reactions reducing an extraordinary amount of pain.

Continue reading "DePuy Now Settling Claims and Lawsuits for Those Who Sustained Injuries as a Result of Metal Upon Metal Hip System Implants" »

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.

At exactly 8:13 yesterday morning, I received a frantic call from the wife of a client of ours, who was about to undergo surgery for removal of a defective DePuy hip implant. The sheer panic in her voice was alarming, but not as alarming as what she proceeded to tell me. Her husband was in the pre-operative area of the hospital and ready to be sedated for an immediate implant removal surgery when the orthopedic surgeon entered the room. The wife reminded the surgeon that she would like to have the removed hip implant, but the surgeon told her that a DePuy representative asked for the removed hip implant so they can perform "their own" testing on it. If the defective hip was taken away, so was the evidence. Thankfully, the wife called us and we were able to quickly intervene and stop the removed defective hip implant from leaving the hospital. If you have have suffered injuries as a result of a defective ASR De Puy hip implant, requiring surgical removal, it is imperative that the removed specimen be retained in a sterile container with a clear chain of custodial documentation for future forensic evaluation by your attorney and his or her team of medical and forensic experts.

DePuy is one of the largest manufacturers of replacement hips in the world with sales close to $5.4 billion dollars. We believe that DePuy exploited a loophole in the FDA regulations that allowed this product to reach the consumer without a single clinical test being performed. Dr. Sydney Wolfe, the Director of the Public Citizens Health Research Group has stated that DePuy "are basically testing these devices in an uncontrolled way on a large number of people". If you or anyone in your family has received a hip replacement after 2003 we strongly encourage you to call the surgeon who performed the operation and ask if the DePuy ASR was implanted. Please call a doctor immediately if you experience swelling, pain, or difficulty walking. An x-ray can reveal how the implant is performing and a blood test can determine if there are any metal particles in your system. Do not contact DePuy, Johnson and Johnson, or sign any documents without first contacting a law firm with the experience needed to handle your case.

The Pennsylvania defective product and DePuy hip implant defect lawyers of Reiff & Bily together with the legendary Beasley Philadelphia product liability and medical malpractice law firm has successfully represented the rights of injured consumers against some of the world's largest corporations and together have recovered awards on behalf of injured clients in excess o $2 billion dollars. Many of the clients that we are speaking to are scared, angry, frustrated, and do not know what to do. Not surprisingly, many of the physicians who installed these devices are also concerned, confused, and not sure how to proceed. Our lawyers have a group of leading orthopedic physician experts to review and investigate these cases at no cost to you.

If you or a loved one has sustained an injury and resulting damages as a result of a DePuy ASR hip implant, please contact us online at www.reiffandbily.com or toll free at 1-800-421-9595.

As an experienced product liability lawyer for the last 30 years who has successfully taken on some of America’s major corporations, I am very much concerned personally and as a professional by the results of the investigations and consequences of many clients suffering problems as a result of defective DePuy hip implants. Generally a hip implant should last at least 15 years, but many of the DePuy ASR hip implant replacement devices have lasted less than 5 years with multiple complications including but not limited to pain and stiffness, metallic poisoning, metal shavings released in the blood stream and long and painful rehabilitation processes and often have medical complications not to mention monetary losses due to inability to function or work.

The experienced product liability and medical malpractice lawyers of Reiff & Bily together with the Beasley Law Firm have successfully represented the rights of injured consumers against major corporations and together have recovered awards on behalf of clients in excess of $2 billion dollars. Many of the clients that we are speaking to are angry, frustrated, and do not know what to do. Not surprisingly, many of the physicians who installed these devices are also concerned and not sure how to proceed. Our lawyers have gathered a group of leading physicians to review and investigate these cases to determine eligibility at no cost to our client for their ability to prosecute a claim against DePuy for resulting damages. It is important to contact a DePuy hip implant lawyer now as thousands have already begun the process by submitting information necessary for investigative review. Time may be of the essence.

If you or a loved one has sustained an injury and resulting damages as a result of a DePuy ASR hip implant, please contact us online at www.reiffandbily.com or toll free at 1-800-421-9595.