For over a year, we’ve been telling you about the problems with metal-on-metal hip replacement devices. Some, such as the DePuy devices by Johnson & Johnson, were recalled due to a higher-than-usual failure rate, causing patients to require second surgeries to replace the replacements. In May 2011, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ordered all producers of “metal-on-metal” hip replacements to study the implants to make sure patients remain as safe as possible.
You can read those earlier blogs here:
Now, according to an article in The New York Times, British help regulators recommend that patients in Britain who received metal-on-metal artificial hips — which were also used widely in the United States — should undergo annual examinations for as long as they have the device to make sure they are not suffering tissue damage or other problems. This recommendation was made out of concern that serious problems could surface 15 or even 20 years after the original surgery.
“By monitoring patients every year, any complications will get picked up earlier and more complex surgery on the patient can be avoided,” said Dr. Susanne Ludgate, the clinical director of the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency.
It has been estimated that about 500,000 people in the United States received an all-metal hip during the past 10 years. Thousands of them have been forced to undergo second surgeries to have the replacements replaced. Hundreds have suffered crippling injuries due to the tissue and muscle tissue damage caused by metallic debris shed by the devices.
In the U.S., the FDA is not changing its recommendation that all hip replacement patients undergo “regular” follow-up with their physicians. That’s good advice…and we recommend that these follow-ups occur even if patients don’t think they have any special problem with their hip replacements. Some people with significant damage to the surrounding muscle tissue don’t have any pain until the injury is severe.
If you have had a metal-on-metal hip replacement that failed early, or if you have had tissue damage due to the device and would like to explore your legal options, feel free to contact the attorneys of HensonFuerst. Someone is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 1-800-4-LAWMED…or view our website at https://www.hensonfuerst.com/.
If you have questions, HensonFuerst has answers.
To read the full article in The New York Times, click here: Britain Extends Monitoring for People with Metal Hips