Hip Replacement Patients may be Entitled to Compensation for Faulty Parts, says Florida Defective Medical Device Law Firm
Patients may have been suffering needlessly for years as the result of faulty hip replacement systems, say the Florida defective medical device attorneys of Gordon & Doner.
A manufacturer’s recall of hip replacement parts may have come too late for thousands of patients who received the defective parts after they became available seven years ago, the Florida defective medical device lawyers of Gordon & Doner said this week.
The South Florida personal injury law firm is currently investigating patient claims connected to the DePuy Orthopaedics ASR™ XL Acetabular System and DePuy ASR™ Hip Resurfacing System, which were recalled by Johnson & Johnson’s DePuy Orthopaedics unit on August 24, 2010.
“These patients, many of them elderly, may have been suffering severe pain for years while trying to carry on everyday activities, such as simply walking or bending over,” said Robert E. Gordon, a founding partner in the law firm. “Now, many of them may require additional medical testing, treatment or surgery to replace the defective device.”
According to the DePuy ASR™ Hip Recall Guide website, the recalled DePuy hip replacement systems first became available to patients in July 2003. The company has said that more than 93,000 of the devices were implanted worldwide, but it does not keep a list of patients who received an ASR™ Hip.
The New York Times reported in March that, from the start of 2008 through the recall, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had received roughly 400 complaints from patients in the U.S. who had received the medical devices.
The Wall Street Journal has reported that one of every eight hip implant patients with either of the recalled medical devices will experience a failure and require a second surgery, or revision, within five years.
“We are investigating whether there was clear evidence that the manufacturer of these hip replacements knew they were faulty for many years before finally issuing a recall,” said Adam S. Doner, also a founding partner in the law firm.
The ASR™ XL Acetabular System was used for total hip replacements, while the ASR™ Hip Resurfacing System was used in a bone-resurfacing procedure that was not approved in the United States. However, many American patients may have received the implants in procedures conducted outside of the U.S., including Canada, or may have received the parts within the country as part of a clinical trial.
According to Gordon, patients with defective hip replacement products may be enduring pain because the recalled devices had metal-on-metal contacts.
“When those parts go bad, the metal flakes or shavings can damage soft tissue surrounding the implanted devices,” Gordon said. “If a person has been experiencing loosened parts, infections, fractures, dislocation and sensitivity to metal, then they may be entitled to compensation for their medical expenses, lost wages and pain and suffering.”
About Gordon & Doner
The Florida law firm of Gordon & Doner, with offices in Palm Beach Gardens, Stuart, Pembroke Pines and Fort Lauderdale, has been serving South Florida communities for more than 17 years. The firm's practice areas include personal injury, wrongful death, class-action lawsuits, medical malpractice, medical devices, product liability and pharmaceutical products. For more information, call the firm at (800) 659-1159 or use the firm’s online form.
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