In August 2010, a DePuy hip implant recall was issued for nearly 93,000 metal-on-metal ASR Hip Resurfacing Systems and ASR XL Acetabular Hip Systems, after it was discovered that the DePuy ASR failure rates was at least 12% within five years of surgery. Serious accusations are now being thrown at DePuy with the most ominous being that DePuy knew about the increased risk of complications associated with its ASR Hip Systems, yet continued to market the implant and encourage surgeons to use it.
Similar Difficulties With Both Wright & DePuy Hip Implants
In an alarming fashion, the Wright Profemur Hip System has experienced many of the same difficulties and failures that the DePuy ASR Hip Systems continue to experience. The Wright Hip complaints, ranging from severe pain to difficulty walking and standing, have begun to file in much like the DePuy ASR complaints before it was recalled in 2010.
Remarkably similar to the DePuy ASR failure rate, an Australian study has found that the Wright Profemur Hip System is subject to early revision surgery in up to 11% of recipients. Another alarming statistic is the alleged kickback scheme that lasted for nearly five years, between 2002 and 2007, in which Wright Medical purportedly paid kickbacks to orthopedic surgeons for pushing Wright hip and knee implants onto patients. Following accusations by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Wright has agreed to pay $7.9 million to settle the kickback allegations. Wright has also agreed to 12 months of federal monitoring, after which the DOJ will most likely drop its criminal charges against Wright, if the company complies with the DOJ’s monitoring requirements.
Wright Hip System Complaints Grow
Complaints about the Wright Hip System are starting to grow and they are being heard loud and clear. Wright Hip recipients have expressed concern with pain in their hips caused by ionization in the areas of the replacement because of the metal-on-metal system, and high levels of cobalt and chromium in their blood.
One Wright Hip recipient complained that her Wright hip hurts, burns, pops and grinds and that she has very high levels of cobalt and chromium in her blood caused by the metal-on-metal Wright Hip System.
Others complain of the extensive revision surgeries that they have undergone because of failures in the Wright Hip System. Another Wright Hip recipient asserts that she too received the Wright Hip metal-on-metal System and since her surgery she has had nothing but problems and excruciating pain. She is forced to sleep on her back because of the pain and at the age of 59 is limited to walking with the assistance of a cane. The complaints from Wright Hip System recipients seem to create a bond among them. In what seems to be a sigh of relief and answer to their problems, most commenters and recipients of the Wright Hip System say that they are glad to see others are going through the same problems they are.
One Wright Hip System recipient was relieved to see others going through the same turmoil caused by the Wright Hip System and after five years of trying to prove something was wrong with her surgery can now have her hip fixed correctly. In the midst of pain and anxiety there seems to be a common bond and comradery among Wright Hip recipients and they all have the same message, “I just want my life back.”
Future Actions Against Wright & DePuy
Because of the vast similarities between the Wright Hip Systems and the DePuy ASR Acetabular Hip Systems, it may be only a matter of time before the FDA steps in and makes an announcement concerning the Wright Hip Systems.
If you or a loved one had a Wright Medical hip replacement system device implanted and have suffered complications, or experienced a hip replacement failure requiring revision surgery, you may be entitled to recover significant damages from the defective product manufacturers, Wright Medical Technology.
Contact Pope McGlamry today by submitting a free case evaluation online or calling (877) 285-7656.
Disclaimer: All use of the Wright mark is for informational and product identification purposes only. This post should not be taken as either medical or legal advice, but instead should act as a resource in providing general information that may be useful to the general public. Pope McGlamry is not affiliated with the medical device manufacturers or their distributors.
