The pain and suffering which plaintiffs in metal-on-metal hip replacement lawsuits experience can be derived from infection and from revision surgery. As additional metal-on-metal hip replacement lawsuits may be filed, a study that will be published in a 2013 edition of the medical journal Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research will explain how some victims of failed devices may be inclined to suffer from both.
The U.S. National Institutes of Health in July made available an abstract of this Mayo Clinic study.
An axiom of the research is twofold: Myriad studies cite failure and revision rates for the metal-on-metal total hip arthroplasty, or THA, that exceed those of procedures that involve other hip-replacement surfaces. There are few studies, however, centered on what happens to the recipients of revised hip replacements.
Researchers tracked 37 patients whose hip procedures were revised due to an adverse reaction to metal debris, a fracture following hip replacement, hip dislocation or another reason. Those injuries alone are reasons a patient may file a metal-on-metal hip replacement lawsuit. But the damage can get worse.
Having examined complications that have followed corrective surgery, researchers found that even a surgical revision may not ease the patients’ pain and suffering. They concluded, in part, “We observed a higher-than-expected rate of infection after revision of [metal-on-metal] THAs. The infection rate was higher in this report than in an earlier series looking at revision THAs for other indications at our institution. As revision of [metal-on-metal] THA becomes more common, it will be important to continue monitoring postrevision outcomes and providing treatment strategies to mitigate complications for these patients.”
Those who file metal-on-metal hip replacement lawsuits may be entitled to compensation for pain and suffering as well as for lost wages and medical expenses. Post-revision infections can make a bad situation worse. Victims injured by metal-on-metal hip implant complications can still hire an attorney and pursue the compensation that may be well-deserved.
When metal surfaces grind, the device can fail and cause a variety of conditions, including metallosis, which is derived from the release of metal particles from the grinding action. The adverse reactions of metal-on-metal hip implants can include “infection, loosening, bone loss, device or bone fracture, and joint dislocation,” according to one of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Products and Medical Procedures updates.
Additionally, according to the FDA, complications such as cardiomyopathy, hearing and visual changes, renal impairment and thyroid dysfunction could result from the release of metal particles, which can lead to “deterioration of the tissue around the joint, loosening of the implant and failure of the device. Metal ions from a metal-on-metal implant will enter the bloodstream.”
Patients in metal-on-metal hip replacement lawsuits have suffered injury from defective devices that have been recalled and from models that remain on the market.
Anyone who has suffered complications related to the failure of any of the following hip implants may want to contact the experienced medical device attorneys at Reich & Binstock for a free consultation:
- Biomet M2a Hip Implants
- Biomet M2a-Magnum
- Biomet Regenerex
- Birmingham Hip Replacement
- Birmingham Hip Resurfacing (BHR) system
- DePuy ASR XL Acetabular System
- DePuy ASR Hip Resurfacing System
- DePuy Pinnacle Acetabular Cup System
- DePuy PINNACLE ULTAMET Metal Liner
- Portland Orthopaedics Ltd. M-COR Modular Hip System
- RingLoc + Modular Acetabular System
- Stryker Hip Implants
- Wright CONSERVE Total Resurfacing Hip System
- Wright PROFEMUR Hip Implant
- Zimmer Durom Cup
- Zimmer Continuum Acetabular System
At no charge, a Reich & Binstock personal injury attorney will examine a patient’s circumstances and will determine whether there is an entitlement to compensation and thus a viable case for a metal-on-metal hip replacement lawsuit. All a patient or a patient’s loved one needs to do is contact Reich & Binstock at 713-622-7271 or online by submitting the electronic case evaluation request form posted on this website.
