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HIP REPLACEMENTS

Hip Replacement Lawyers

Cincinnati, Ohio

Every year, more that 110,000 Americans choose to have total hip replacement surgery to relieve pain and increase mobility in their hip joints. This major surgery takes about two hours and is performed to replace deteriorating hip bones with an artificial ball-and-socket joint.

Deterioration of joints is caused by osteoporosis and arthritis. The new joint replaces the old “ball” on the patient’s femur and “socket” of the pelvis. Materials commonly used in this device are titanium and ceramic. The design is meant to replace the original hip joint, and during hip replacement rehabilitation, the patient’s bone bonds to the prosthesis.

There have been two recalls of artificial hip joints since 2000. Several thousand artificial hip replacements were recalled by Sulzer Orthopedics because of an oily substance introduced during manufacture, which was not removed in the cleaning process.

This oil prevented attachment of the patient’s bone to the implant. The defect caused pain and prevented the new hip socket from performing as designed. Over 17,000 patients have Sulzer implants which need to be replaced. Research is needed here, because not all Sulzer implants were affected.

Sulzer has been criticized for failing to take action sooner. Even though surgeons reported patient difficulty and pain with the Sulzer implant, Sulzer waited nearly a year to take the products off the market.

In the second recall, FDA alerted the public that eight companies have sold artificial hip joints containing a defective ceramic ball joint made by the French company St. Gobain. The ceramic ball has cracked, causing hip pain and severe limitation of motion. A cracked ball requires that the defective implant be replaced.

The following companies have used this ceramic ball since 1998:

• Apex Surgical of Lakeville, Massachusetts
• Biomet Inc.
• DePuy Orthopaedics Inc.
• Encore Orthopedics Inc. of Austin, Texas
• Osteoimplant Technology Inc. of Hunt Valley, Maryland
• Smith & Nephew of Memphis, Tennessee
• Stryker Howmedica Osteonics of Allendale, New Jersey
• Zimmer Inc.

If you or someone you know are patients of hip replacement surgery, contact the law firm of O’Connor Acciani & Levy, LLC immediately. We will evaluate your hip replacement case at no charge, and advise you how to proceed with your investigation.

Our defective medical product attorneys will find out if the implant in question has been recalled, and will represent you in recovering medical expenses, pain and suffering from additional surgeries, and related costs.

The personal injury attorneys at O’Connor Acciani & Levy, LLC have experience in handling Defective Hip Replacements cases in Cincinnati Ohio. Call us today for a FREE evaluation of your defective product case at 513-241-7111 or contact us by email.