The Sydney Morning Herald had printed an article stating that some 430 patients in Australia who were implanted with the DePuy Articular Surface Replacement (ASR) hip implants had their device failing and had them suffering other complications. In August of 2010 in the United States, the DePuy Orthopaedics, Inc., a division of Johnson & Johnson, has announced a worldwide recall of two of its hip replacement systems, the ASR XL Acetabular System and the DePuy ASR Hip Resurfacing Platform. Australia was the first country to withdraw the two DePuy hip implants in December 2009 followed by Europe a year later. In the wake of the worldwide recall, several lawsuits were filed with At least 300 hip replacement lawsuits were filed in Britain.
As stated in the news report, the 430 patients have to undergo a revision surgery to have the implants removed. Including the 430 patients, there are about 5,500 Australians who received the apparently defective ASR hip implant devices of DePuy. As an aid to affected patients, an Australian Senate committee has called for the immediate and better action from the Australian Department of Health and Ageing as well as from the DePuy Orthopaedics with thousands of Australians having received the device.
The Australian committee which investigated the DePuy recall is calling on the country’s health officials to prioritize alerting doctors, patients, and the general public to the DePuy device recall, the adverse effects the implants have on patients, and the options for treatment. The committee also urged the health department to find effective ways of monitoring the levels of cobalt and chromium in patients implanted with metal-on-metal hip devices. Some patients are not aware of having high levels of cobalt and chromium in their bloodstream until they undergo a blood test.
DePuy’s ASR XL Acetabular System and ASR Hip Resurfacing System became available in the Australian market in July 2003. The Australian National Joint Registry was the first medical body to release data showing that the DePuy ASR devices have a premature failure rate between eight and 11 percent. Study conducted by the British Joint Registry confirmed the findings after it also determined that 12 to 13 percent of the DePuy’s ASR devices fail within five years. The recent study forced the worldwide recall of the DePuy hip systems.
Medical experts told the New York Times that the device fails five years after it was first implanted contrary to its supposed lifespan of 15 to 20 years because of the hip implants’ design. DePuy designed a shallower cup and removed the plastic liner from the inside of the implant because it had intended for patients to have a wider range of motion. However, the friction of the ball portion of the hip implant against the socket wears away cobalt and chromium particles from the device and into the soft tissue around the area leading to complications. The DePuy hip replacement recall may have been put in place but only after some 93,000 patients have already received the apparently defective device.
References:
smh.com.au/national/health/faulty-hip-implants-senate-inquiry-wants-action-on-ticking-time-bomb-20111122-1nsyc.html#ixzz1eY3Ru9qH
hip-recall-lawyer.com/news/2011/11/28/australian-committee-seeks-better-action-in-helping-depuy-hip-implant-patients/
depuy.com/aupatient
