http://www.depuyhipreplacementlawsuit.com/ The hip implant metallosis is one of the many complications that came up after DePuy Orthopedics Inc.’s recall of its Articular Surface Replacement (ASR) hip systems. The several lawsuits that were filed against Johnson & Johnson, DePuy’s mother company, contained among its several allegations, metallosis. Several of these lawsuits have been consolidated into a multidistrict litigation under Judge David A. Katz of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio who called for a status conference of the DePuy hip replacement lawsuit this month.

1. As Published on the DePuy Hip Replacement Recall Website

2. The hip implant metallosis is one of the many
complications that came up after DePuy
Orthopedics Inc.’s recall of its Articular Surface
Replacement (ASR) hip systems. The several
lawsuits that were filed against Johnson &
Johnson, DePuy’s mother company, contained
among its several allegations, metallosis. Several of
these lawsuits have been consolidated into a
multidistrict litigation under Judge David A. Katz of
the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of
Ohio who called for a status conference of the
DePuy hip replacement lawsuit this month.

3. The metal poisoning of cobalt and chromium
in the soft tissue known as hip implant
metallosis could have a patient feeling pain
and suffering potentially dangerous side
effects. The defective design of the metal-
on-metal (MoM) ASR hip implants allegedly
causes the heavy metal build-up, particularly
of chromium and cobalt, in the tissue. A
report in the New York Times stated that
orthopedic specialists said that they believed
that the design of the ASR cup, which is
shallower than some similar devices, was at
the heart of the implant’s problems.

4. DePuy had intended a wider range of motion for
patients by designing a shallower cup and
removing the plastic liner from the inside of the
implant. Cobalt and chromium particles flake
off from the device, as a result of the friction of
the ball portion of the hip implant against the
socket, and into the soft tissue around the area
leading to metallosis.

5. Heavy metals cobalt and chromium are used on
the DePuy ASR hip implants because of their
strength and anti-corrosion properties. Low
levels of these heavy metals in the body is
considered safe but when the levels start going
up, it could be toxic for patients because it
could lead to both cobalt and chromium
poisoning. In cobalt poisoning, experts consider
any blood serum concentration at or above seven
micrograms per millilitre to be dangerous.

6. Included among the symptoms of cobalt
poisoning are:
· Deafness
· Cardiomyopathy
· Optic nerve / vision problems
· Neuropathy
· Haemorrhages
· Kidney failure
· Gastrointestinal problems
· Thyroid problems

7. While no specific concentrations have been
established to be considered as dangerous levels
for chromium poisoning, experts at the Mayo
Clinic Medical Laboratories believe that even low
levels are concerning, "blood serum
concentrations greater than 1ng/ML in a patient
with Cr-based implant suggest significant
prosthesis wear."

8. Symptoms of chromium poisoning may include:
· Acute renal failure
· GI haemorrhage
· Impaired liver function
· Increased risk of cancers

9. The two complications could be diagnosed via a
regular blood test. Affected patients would
need to undergo a revision surgery to remove the
defective implants which is causing the
poisoning. The DePuy hip replacement recall is
not enough compensation in the face of the
grave danger that the defective implants pose to
a patients’ health.