Personal Injury Law

High Cobalt Levels Found In DePuy ASR Hip Implant According To Towers Study

By M. Brandon Smith

Cobaltism Dangers
Thousands of patients have been negatively impacted by the DePuy ASR hip implants. One such health issue caused by the defective implants is cobalt poisoning (cobaltism). Cobaltism is not something to be taken lightly as it can result in a variety of severe health problems including tinnitus, vertigo, deafness, blindness, optic nerve atrophy, convulsions, headaches, peripheral neuropathy, cardiomyopathy and hypothyroidism. A recent case report by Dr. Stephen S. Tower, published in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, examined two cases of arthroprosthetic cobaltism attributed to metal-on-metal implants. Both patients studied experienced severe health issues after receiving the ASR hip implants.

Case Report
The two patients were 49-year-old men from Alaska who were fit and in good health at the time they received the metal-on-metal arthroplasty with ASR implants. Each patient suffered substantial symptoms associated with cobaltism and required revision surgery. Some symptoms were present after one year such as dyspnea and progressive hip pain. The health issues progressively worsened at two years and beyond, with the patients suffering from more severe cobaltism symptoms like anxiety, headaches, irritability, fatigue, tinnitus, hearing loss, pain at rest, hip creaking, hand tremor, incoordination, cognitive decline and depression. At thirty-six months, visual changes were noted and optic nerve atrophy was found.

Conclusion
The patients mentioned above suffered severe health problems as a result of the DePuy ASR hip implants now under a global recall. The patients were already in good health before the surgery and were expecting to see their health improve further after receiving hip implants. Instead, these patients and countless others ended up with a multitude of new health issues following the surgery. These patients have suffered greatly and deserve to be advised of their legal rights. DePuy ASR Patients with questions are encouraged to contact Childers, Schlueter & Smith, LLC to get free information about the DePuy ASR recall and advice on protecting their legal rights.

Full post as published by Atlanta Personal Injury Lawyer on January 21, 2011 (boomark / email).