The DePuy artificial hips that were recalled in August are facing mounting lawsuits as news about the hips’ defects and the device maker’s failure to notify the FDA and the public about what they knew about the problems continues to surface. There are widespread reports that DePuy officials knew the metal-on-metal artificial hip implants were failing at an alarming rate but those same officials didn’t disclose the problems until this past August.
According to DePuy, the company sold approximately 93,000 of the SR Hip Resurfacing Systems and ASR XL Acetabular Systems and that these devices have suffered a 12% failure rate requiring revision surgery within the first five years of implantation.
Any revision surgery is painful, subject to further failure and may lead to other complications. The metal-on-metal devices can cause metal debris which can lead to inflammation, loss of bone and tissue, and groin pain.