Who Should File a DePuy Pinnacle Lawsuit?

By Jason Bottlinger on December 10, 2018

Hip replacement surgery is painful and requires a lengthy recovery period. Anyone who’s been through such an operation is in no hurry to go through it again. Unfortunately, many patients who had DePuy Pinnacle hip joints used in their hip replacement procedure are facing revision surgery.

Revision surgery involves surgically removing a defective or worn-out hip joint and replacing it with a purportedly safer, artificial hip joint.

Dangers of DePuy Pinnacle Hip Joints

The DePuy Pinnacle hip joint is a metal-on-metal hip joint, meaning both the femoral head and the acetabulum (the socket the femoral head fits into) are made of metal. This metal-on-metal system is the major source of the problems associated with the DePuy Pinnacle. When the femoral head and the acetabulum rub against each other, metal shards and particles are ground off and released into the surrounding tissue and the bloodstream. This creates the following issues:

• Metallosis: A type of metal poisoning when metal ions are released into the body, resulting in toxicity.
• Necrosis: Bone and tissue death caused by metal toxicity.
• Osteolysis: Bone dissolution caused by metal toxicity.
• Systemic metallosis: Inflammation of the entire body caused by the release of metal ions.
• Pseudotumors: Tumor-like deposits that form around the affected joints.
• Bone fractures: Caused by weakening of the bones surrounding the hip implant due to metal toxicity.

All of the above side effects are painful, inhibit movement, and are detrimental to one’s overall health.

How Did Such a Dangerous Implant Make It to the Market?

The DePuy Pinnacle was first approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2000, but did not undergo the usual safety tests medical devices must go through before gaining FDA approval. This was because a similar implant known as the DePuy Ultima Metal-On-Metal Acetabular Cup had already been approved. The FDA granted the Pinnacle a 501(k) approval, based on its “similarity” to the other implant, thus not requiring clinical testing.

The Pinnacle isn’t the first hip implant that DePuy Orthopedics, which is owned by pharmaceutical behemoth Johnson & Johnson, has had trouble with. In August of 2010, DePuy issued a voluntary recall of its metal-on-metal ASR hip replacement system because it had a failure rate that was more than two times the industry average, and also caused metallosis.

However, the company continued to sell the Pinnacle, despite knowing the dangers of metal-on-metal hip implants. As a result, there are currently over 10,000 lawsuits pending against DePuy and Johnson & Johnson, and the companies have been forced to pay billions of dollars in compensation to victims of their defective product.

Take Action – Call a Product Liability Attorney

If you had a hip replacement surgery that is causing you serious injury, please call a lawyer immediately. Few people know if they were implanted with the DePuy Pinnacle or another device, but we at Bottlinger Law L.L.C. should be able to examine your records, conduct an investigation, and find out.

If you had to have revision surgery because of a DePuy Pinnacle, you deserve compensation for your medical bills, pain and suffering, lost wages, and much more. But Johnson & Johnson is a huge, powerful corporation, with the resources to diminish their liability for your injuries. Don’t let them deny you the compensation you deserve. Omaha’s Bottlinger Law L.L.C. has the trial experience to stand up to Johnson & Johnson on your behalf. Contact our DePuy Pinnacle liability lawyer for a free case evaluation by calling (402) 505-8234.