Study: Hip Implant Failure Risk Could Be Successfully Addressed
Hip implant lawsuits are costly and involve medical record analysis & other review processes. Hip implant related risk could be reduced, a new study says
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Around 28,000 lawsuits have been filed in the United States by people harmed by defective hip implants. Though hip implants are beneficial, unfortunately these could cause serious complications such as metal poisoning, tissue damage, loosening, dislocation, implant failure, severe pain and revision surgery. Since these cases come under personal injury or product liability litigation, attorneys handling such cases require services such as medical record analysis and medical case chronology preparation that assist them in preparing for trial. According to drugwatch.com, there have already been 5 major settlements, and more than 13,000 cases are pending. Lawsuits arise when hip implant manufacturers fail to warn the public regarding the associated risks. The majority of lawsuits are based on metal-on-metal hip implants, with the injured plaintiffs requiring additional revision surgeries and having to replace the devices. What Are the Complications? The most recent American Joint Replacement Registry Annual Report says that the number of hip replacement procedures have increased from about 45,500 in 2012 to more than 280,000 in 2017. Used to treat wear and tear in the hip joint, hip implants are typically made of metal, ceramic or polyethylene. Based on the components used, the implant may be metal-on-metal, metal-on-ceramic, or ceramic-on-ceramic. Sometimes, metal-on polyethylene and ceramic-on-polyethylene hip
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implants are also used. All of these combinations bring different risks and complications, which lead to patient harm and costly litigation. ➢ Observed complications include cobalt toxicity, allergy, build-up of metal flakes in the bloodstream, and mechanical component failure. ➢ Apart from these, there could be risks such as infection or blood clots after the surgery, loosening of the joint and dislocation and so on. Most Common Allegations Typically, lawsuits filed against hip implant manufacturers allege the following: ➢ The devices were marketed as safe when they were not ➢ Manufacturers failed to adequately warn patients regarding the risks associated with their devices ➢ Companies failed to properly design, manufacture and test the safety and reliability of their hip implants ➢ The implants failed earlier than expected ➢ The implants caused injuries ➢ Complications resulting from the implants resulted in the need for revision surgery Lawsuits are filed both under product liability and medical malpractice. Drugwatch.com points out that jury awards have ranged from millions of www.mosmedicalrecordreview.com
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dollars to more than $1 billion for a group of plaintiffs in one hip replacement trial. Juries that find a manufacturer’s actions to be especially harmful may award the plaintiff punitive damages as well along with compensation for their injuries. New Findings, New Hope Now, a method developed by mechanical engineering researchers at the Center for Advanced Surface Engineering offers new hope for the hip implant manufacturing industry. This method involves adding an array of microscopic indentations that increase the thickness of a lubricating film on the surface of the implant. A major reason for hip implant failure and the need for revision surgery is a loosening of the bond between the implant and bone. This loosening is in many cases caused by the body’s autoimmune response to particles, wear and tear on the surface of the implant, and the toxicity of the metallic ions released into the body by the deteriorating implant.
The researchers focused on the textured
surface of cartilage, its natural dimples (converging gaps) that promote the secretion of synovial fluid (the naturally occurring lubricant in the joint, produced and released by cartilage) and improve the thickness of the lubricating film. Though cartilage is also removed during hipreplacement surgery, the human body produces sufficient synovial fluid to form a thin layer between the implants. The formation of this film post-surgery and its thickness is a major determining factor when it comes to the long-term success of the hip implant. The study results www.mosmedicalrecordreview.com
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were published in the Journal of the Mechanical Behavior of Biomedical Materials. Since defective hip-implant litigation is complicated, and could be filed under product liability as well as medical malpractice in some instances, professional legal opinion is indispensable. The service of a medical review company could be necessary for busy product liability and malpractice attorneys especially when providing an initial review of the metal hip replacement injury claim.
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918-221-7791