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DePuy Pinnacle Hip Implant Failure Initiative Considered “Vital”.

The U.S. Drug Watchdog has a goal of identifying every single one of the more than 130,000 Americans who received the DePuy Pinnacle hip implant constructed of a metal ball and joint, between the years of 2005 and 2010. In an effort to ensure no recipient of the implant who suffered harm is left behind, the initiative to reach all of those exposed to the potential dangers is considered extremely important. Thus far, less than a thousand people have come forward, although the Drug Watchdog believes those numbers should reach well over a hundred thousand—the underlying reason for this very aggressive victim’s initiative. Once victims have been found, they will be provided access to the highest quality personal injury attorneys who possess a thorough knowledge of the deficiencies of the metal ball and joint hip implants.  The ultimate goal for victims of the DePuy Pinnacle hip implant is to ensure they receive appropriate compensation if their hip implant has failed or is in the failure process.

Potential Hazards of Metal-on-Metal Hip Implants

On December 27, 2011, the New York Times reported on the extremely high failure rate of this particular type of hip implant. Although these devices, constructed of a metal ball and joint, should last a minimum of fifteen years, high numbers of the implants are failing within months of the initial surgery. The ball and joint are constructed of cobalt and chromium; during physical activity the two surfaces rub against one another causing tiny metal particles to flake off. In some cases these toxic metal ions find their way to the recipient’s bloodstream causing metallosis or kidney or liver disease, while in others the surrounding tissue is damaged and necrosis takes place. The metal ion shavings can lead to joint immobility in some patients as well as swelling in the groin and back, severe and chronic pain and elevated levels of toxic metals in the blood.

Questions from the U.S. Drug Watchdog

The U.S. Drug Watchdog questions the necessity of the FDA in light of the hundreds of thousands of American citizens currently implanted with a dangerous metal-on-metal hip implant with a high likelihood of failure. When innocent people are faced with toxic levels of potentially harmful metals as well as an entire litany of other potentially serious health issues due to a medical device which appears to have slid right under the FDA’s radar, the question is a valid one.  The Watchdog group wants to help every potential victim of the metal-on-metal hip in whatever ways they can.

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