Metal-On-Metal Hip Replacements Poison Patients Who Received Implants

The announcement by DePuy Orthopaedics Inc. of the voluntary DePuy recall of two of their Hip Replacement systems, the ASR XL acetabular system and the ASR hip resurfacing system, has caused great concern among the patients who have been implanted with these devices. These two defective devices have been manufactured and marketed since 2003. Therefore any patients who have had a hip replacement surgery since 2003 may be subject to the DePuy recall. There are about 93,000 individuals around the world who have been implanted with these devices. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the governmental organization that protects public health, entered the battlefield with the Johnson & Johnson’s DePuy recall and ordered 21 manufacturers to collect information from patients – including blood tests for metallic ions. This broad use of the agency’s authority will clarify failure rates of metal-on-metal implants and drop the hammer on Johnson & Johnson.


Metal-on-metal hip replacements, which use cobalt and chromium in their construction, currently account for about one-third of the 250,000 hip replacements performed each year in the United States. However, in recent years, concerns over problems with metal-on-metal hip replacements have grown. As the metal hip replacement parts rub against each other, microscopic particles of cobalt and chromium may be shed into the body, which can result in metal poisoning, also known as metallosis. This may result in soft tissue damage, inflammatory reactions, bone loss, genetic damage, asceptic fibrosis, local necrosis or other problems that may lead to the need for a risky hip revision surgery.

In a recent lawsuit in Texas, a teacher claims she suffers from pain in her hip, groin and lower back as a result of the replacement surgery. According to a release, Hilda Gibson is seeking compensation for the side effects of the hip replacement, which she claims forced her to leave her part-time position in order to recuperate and undergo additional surgery. "Ms. Gibson has suffered tremendously because of this unsafe device," Gibson's attorney said in a statement. "Instead of enhancing her life, this defective product has hindered her in many ways. She suffered with constant pain that wouldn't have been necessary had the DePuy ASR not failed."