Court Awards $8.3 Million for Flawed DePuy ASR Metal Hip Replacement System

Loren Kransky was awarded $8.3 million in a court settlement with Johnson & Johnson and its subsidiary DePuy Orthopaedics, Inc. for injuries, expenses, and damages he encountered relative to the DePuy ASR™ XL metal-on-metal hip replacement he received in 2007. This is the first of over 10,000 lawsuits that have been filed against Johnson & Johnson and DePuy since the ASR™ Hip Resurfacing System and the ASR™ XL Acetabular System were recalled in 2010. An estimated 93,000 patients worldwide were implanted with the ASR System.

The ASR Hip System was developed by orthopaedic surgeons and biomedical technicians for a procedure called resurfacing which is used by surgeons seeking an alternative method to the standard hip replacement for patients with severe arthritis and disease of the hip joint.

The major issue of the ASR Hip System as well as other hip replacement devices is its metal cup and ball components. Doctors and researchers have asserted that the design is flawed and has a high wear rate which causes complications such as dislocations, severe pain, infection, and often the need for a second revision surgery. Patients who have received the implant have also reported, which occurs when metal debris enters the bloodstream.

A study conducted by the National Joint Registry of England and Wales found that 12% of patients who received the resurfacing device, and 13% of patients who received the ASR total hip replacement required a second hip replacement surgery. An internal review by DePuy revealed that 40% ASR implant surgeries would fail within only five years; which is reportedly eight times higher than most hip devices.

DePuy has maintained that the device had been tested numerous years before it was approved by the FDA and released onto the global market, and asserted that problems with the ASR system lay with how surgeons were implanting the cup. Evidence may suggest that the company knew years before the recall that the ASR System was defective. DePuy executives voluntarily recalled both the ASR Systems in August 2010, citing it no longer met clinical standards. Johnson & Johnson and DePuy have since established a recall website with resources for both patients and surgeons seeking information and compensation.

If you have had a DePuy ASR hip replacement system implanted, and have experienced health complications or have already had the system replaced, now is the time to call an experienced DePuy litigation lawyer. Out lawyers are available around the clock to answer any of your questions, explain your patient rights and options, and provide you with all the guidance and support you need should you wish to pursue a claim against DePuy.

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