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The Extent of the DePuy Hip Recall as Illustrated by an FDA Enforcement Report

12th December, 2010 - Posted by health news - No Comments

Next to a knee hip replacement, a hip replacement surgery is the most frequently performed orthopedic operation, mainly because many hip disorders affect people of different ages and lifestyles. Most people know that all hip replacement procedures necessitate the implantation of a certain kind of prosthetic device, called a hip implant, of which DePuy Orthopaedics has produced and marketed for so many years now. Unfortunately, the world was shaken when it was exposed that their metal hip implants, the ASL XL Acetabular System and the ASL Hip Resurfacing System, are actually defective.

In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration has responded to this growing problem by releasing an enforcement report covering on a variety of matters exclusive to DePuy Orthopaedics and their defective hip implants. This FDA report states pertinent points relating to the DePuy hip recall, and how it has affected thousands of innocent patients. According to the report, DePuy initiated their own post-market surveillance, and that they are currently going through significant information collected from clinical tests findings, national registries, research studies, news, literature and many more sources. Investigatory studies also divulged that the failure rate of the ASR devices is at 12%, which is a startling figure.

Moreover, the report also explicates the diseases and health risks associated with defective implants. The flawed metal-on-metal (MoM) implant, sooner or later, loosens, resulting in fractures, metal sensitivity, chronic pain, inflammation and infection. Worse, it can result to metallosis, but this complication was not brought up in the report. Metallosis is the state when cobalt and chromium ions from the defective implant seep their way into the bloodstream, causing metal ion levels to rise in toxic amounts. This is significantly correlated to heart problems, as well as hypothyroidism and several nervous system disorders.

True enough, this is one difficult obstacle that you have to pass. You can never turn back time to undo your decisions, but you can still actually do something. Certainly, you can file a DePuy recall lawsuit, so that you can claim damages for pain, suffering, including those from medical bills and lost wages. To help you further, consult a hip recall lawyer.