Given America’s aging Baby Boomer population, joint replacement surgeries are on the rise. According to the Centers for Disease Control, the number of total hip replacements among patients 45 and older grew from 138,700 in 2000 to 310,800 in 2010.
Risks Associated With Metal-on-Metal Replacements
After many reports of adverse events, regulating agencies and hip implant manufacturers like DePuy, Stryker, Biomet, and Smith & Nephew sent out warnings to patients and recalled certain implant parts. In particular, Smith and Nephew—a company based in the UK known for its hip replacement parts—formally recalled the metal liner in their R3 Acetabular system on June 1, 2012 after numerous reports citing implant dislocation, infection, and bone fracture which required revision surgery. You can speak with a personal injury lawyer to help you pursue compensation.
Several cases of hip replacement recalls involved metal-on-metal hip replacements. Although these implants were sold with the idea that they would be more durable than other types of hip implants when they were first introduced, they have caused multiple health problems.
With metal-on-metal implants, the problems patients experience can be even more serious than issues with mobility and pain. Metal debris, most commonly chromium or cobalt, can be released into the patient’s body as the metal pieces rub against each other, causing significant damage to the patient’s body.
