Personal Injury Law

DePuy Implants Also Cause Blood Toxicity

By Jamie G. Goldstein

DePuy has admitted that not only design flaws of its ASR hip implants, but metal particles released from the implant contributed to its recall of the hip implant systems last year. DePuy recalled its ASR Hip Resurfacing System as well as its ASR XL Acetabular Hip System last August due to serious complications that often required the implant to be replaced with a second 'revision' surgery. Around 93,000 people are estimated to be in pain due to the DePuy hip implant which has been in use since 2005.

Not only was the design of low quality, metal particles from the hip implants metal ball and socket system of the implant have the risk of being released into the bloodstream due to wear and tear caused by the use of the device. The device releases metal shards or debris into the surrounding tissue around the hip, putting chromium and cobalt into the blood at a much faster rate than other implants. Some patients have had rates of chromium and cobalt in their blood as high as 100 times the normal levels.

Depuy's own website states that the dangers of these metal particles entering the body include: 'allergic reactions, bone loss, soft tissue damage, vision or hearing problems or even tumors and cancer.' Chromium and cobalt in the body have been linked to cancerous tumors, while metallosis, a form of blood poisoning, can lead to genetic damage. Cobalt and chromium can also be transmitted from pregnant women to their fetus, creating a possible risk for the baby. Those who have the hip implants can see if the metal particles are in their systems by undergoing a simple blood test to check for toxicity. Symptoms of metallosis can include pain, trouble walking, tumors, and irritation. Even with the high levels of the metal ions, symptoms might not show up right away but may cause these problems further down the line.

Full post as published by Chicago Personal Injury Lawyer on January 19, 2011 (boomark / email).