In a Los Angeles Superior Court trial, an occupational medicine specialist testified that a man’s artificial hip had to be removed because of “toxic exposure” from metal debris that the implant was shedding, according to a Reuters story.
Plaintiff Loren Kransky’s is the first of more than 10,000 U.S. lawsuits about the implants to go to trial.
The artificial hips, made by Johnson & Johnson subsidiary DePuy Orthopedics, feature both a ball and a socket coated in a mix of cobalt and chromium. Not only do the artificial hips tend to shed toxic metal debris, but a number of studies have shown that nearly half of them break down and need replacement within six years.
According to the Reuters story, Kransky’s blood tests showed that his levels of cobalt and chromium reached as much as seven times normal after he received one of the hip implants.
Johnson & Johnson recalled that model in 2010.
But Kransky’s lawyers contend that Johnson & Johnson was aware of the devices’ defects, including the risk of poisoning from cobalt and chromium metal debris, even before the company started selling them in 2004.
An in-house Johnson & Johnson study presented at the trial showed the company estimated that 37 percent of the devices would fail within about five years of implant surgery.
You should consult with a doctor if you have any ongoing symptoms or health concerns from a DePuy hip implant. If you have significant injuries, you should also consult with a DePuy hip lawyer to discuss your legal rights.
See the story here:
https://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/01/us-jj-hip-trial-idUSBRE91019V20130201
