Personal Injury Law

DePuy Recall Puts Senior Citizens in a Catch-22

By Jamie G. Goldstein

Many of those affected by the recent DePuy recall of ASR include senior citizens. Now, a new study shows there is a correlation amongst seniors between hip fractures and stroke. The study, coming out of Taiwan, showed that those who experience a hip fracture are about 50% more likely to have a stroke than those who haven't had a fracture. The study looked at about 8,400 patients averaging 64 years of age. The fact the hip fractures (which result in around 320,000 hospital visits per year) are now linked to strokes is especially cause for concern as strokes are the third leading cause of death in the United States.

Previously, the reverse was thought to be true—strokes were associated with increased risk of hip fracture because strokes cause loss of bone density. However, scientists now say that the inactivity associated with hip fracture, combined with the stress of the event and possible surgical complications. Even when taking diseases such as diabetes into account, seniors who had hip fractures experienced stroke at a rate of 4.1 percent, while those who didn't had stroke rates of 2.7 percent.

This study emphasizes how serious the recent recall of DePuy's, a unit of Johnson & Johnson, ASR hip implants really is. The recall is estimated to affect around 90,000 people. The pain and inflammation caused the defective devices often require recipients to undergo a second 'revision' surgery to replace the implant. The device can also release metal toxins into the blood, which has been linked to the development of tumors. DePuy has agreed to pay for this surgery, but revision surgery is extremely painful, can cause immobility for months, stress, and loss of income due to unemployment. Now that seniors know that this surgery can increase their risk of stroke they are in a double bind. Should they get the corrective surgery and increase their risk of stroke or deal with the pain of their implants? Unfortunately, this is a decision all too many seniors will have to make.

Full post as published by Chicago Personal Injury Lawyer on January 25, 2011 (boomark / email).