For several years now, there have been reports that the
ASR Hip Replacement
is a defective medical device. The Australian joint registry approached
the ASR's manufacturer, DePuy Orthopaedics, a Johnson & Johnson
company, and asked that the ASR be withdrawn, but the company refused
until confronted with statistics showing the device's high rate of
failure. However, the company did not decide to recall the product in
other countries until a second national joint registry showed that the
ASR had a failure rate of 12-13% within five years, despite the device's
projected 15-year lifespan. Many of those failures led to patients having
multiple replacement surgeries, ongoing pain, and increased disability,
but DePuy did not initiate a recall until it had already decided to phase
out the implant due to declining sales. Some of the failures of this
defective product
are related to the ASR's design as a metal-on-metal joint. These types
of implants shave off metal filings during normal wear and tear. These
filings can irritate and even kill nearby tissues. When this happens,
it leads not only to failure of the ASR, but requires complex surgeries
to correct, surgeries that may have to be repeated several times before
you have a working hip joint. The metal filings can also enter the bloodstream,
spread throughout the body, and cause system-wide effects that may include
kidney failure and heart problems. If you or a loved one has suffered
due to the failure of an ASR hip implant, the product liability lawyers
of Kalfus & Nachman, Attorneys at Law, can help.
Contact us
today to learn how we can help you.
