After DePuy Orthopaedics has spent the last year fighting complaints about its metal-on-metal hips the DePuy ASR XL and the Pinnacle, the FDA has recently approved a new DePuy hip device. This new hip replacement is different from the failed hip devices in that it is the first of its kind-a ceramic on metal device that the company hopes will fare better than the ASR XL and the Pinnacle.
Due to all the problems with metal-on-metal hips, the FDA has insisted that this new hip will undergo a post-market study to monitor failure rates as well as patient complaints. The post-market study was a condition for the approval of the new DePuy hip.
The new DePuy hip will consist of a ceramic ball that fits into a metal socket.