Problems with DePuy Orthopaedics Hip Replacement Devices Date Back to 2007

(March 14, 2011, New York NY) While it is impossible to pinpoint exactly when executives at DePuy Orthopaedics became aware of problems associated with its hip replacement devices, evidence from artificial joint registries outside of the United States began documenting issues with the devices back in 2007. DePuy did not choose to recall its ASR XL Acetabular System and ASR Hip Resurfacing System until August, 2010.
Australia, the United Kingdom, Norway and Sweden all have artificial joint registries in place to carefully track data on procedures such as hip replacement surgeries. In 2007, the Australian National Joint Replacement Registry began to notice problems with the DePuy hip replacement devices. By 2008, it determined that the DePuy devices were four to five times more likely to fail within three years than any other hip replacement device on the market. Pressure from the Australian registry prompted DePuy to pull its products from the Australian market in 2009. Joint registries in England and Wales began compiling similar data, illustrating a five-year failure rate of approximately 12.5 percent, which is double the industry average.
The United States does not have any such joint registry in place. It wasn’t until two years after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) began receiving complaints about its hip replacement devices that DePuy decided to issue a worldwide recall. With an estimated 250,000 hip replacement surgeries performed in the U.S. each year, it is impossible to know exactly how many people have been affected by these defective devices. Approximately 93,000 DePuy devices have been implanted worldwide, but without documentation it will be difficult to calculate the damage based only on the hundreds of complaints received by the FDA. There is no way to know how many unreported cases of failure have been brought to light, or how many patients are suffering in silence thinking that their symptoms are typical of the hip replacement procedure.
The Rottenstein Law Group has experienced hip replacement lawyers working diligently to advocate on behalf of victims of the DePuy hip recall. Patients experiencing symptoms such as pain, swelling and decreased mobility as a result of a hip replacement surgery should contact their physicians for an evaluation. Once a diagnosis is obtained, The Rottenstein Law Group recommends visiting their Web site to stay informed of the latest developments in the ongoing litigation against DePuy Orthopaedics.
About the Rottenstein Law Group
The Rottenstein Law Group is a New York-based law firm that represents clients in mass tort actions. The firm was founded by Rochelle Rottenstein, a lawyer with over two decades of experience in compassionate representation of clients in consumer product injury, mass tort, and class action law suits. For more information, please visit their Web site, or call (888) 9-ROT-LAW.

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