Johnson & Johnson is in the news again, this time for their DePuy (pron. de-pew) Orthopedics unit which makes hip implant replacements. The DePuy Division president David Floyd issued this statement:
“We regret that this recall will be concerning for patients, their family members and surgeons. We are committed to assisting patients and health care providers by providing information through multiple channels and paying for the cost of doctor visits, tests and procedures associated with the recall.”
Some of you will recall the problems Sulzer had a few years back with their hip and knee replacement products. They switched manufacturing processes to cut costs and the result was a thin film being left on the parts which prevented the bone and tissue in the body from properly attaching. Post-surgery patients had very painful experiences as their new replacement parts slid around and didn’t firm up properly causing them to have to go through a second painful surgery experience to fix the problem.
It is unknown if DePuy hip replacements are having the same issue but there is a 12-13% failure rate and with about 93,000 implants performed that is a lot of people looking for relief, and potentially more unreported cases to surface.
If you know someone who has had a hip replacement, ask them if they are having any issues with it. Common side effects include:
• Unexplained hip pain
• Thigh pain or groin pain
• Pain when walking
• Pain rising from a seated position
• Hip pain when bearing weight
• Limping
• Pain to the opposite hip or femur (due to the compensation to the failed hip replacement)
• Crunching sound during hip movement
For more information on this subject, please visit our practice area page for DePuy hip replacement recall lawsuit. For other questions where you may need a medical negligence attorney, please visit our FAQ page.
