As DePuy hip recall attorneys in New Jersey and Philadelphia, we have been posting topical information for potential DePuy hip recall patients interested in the “goings on” of how some 93,000 DePuy hip implants have been recalled. Today’s DePuy hip recall post discusses the history of not just DePuy hip implants, but hip implants in general. We’ll briefly trace the evolution of joint replacement surgery up and through the present day where we have many many different manufacturers (i.e, DePuy, Zimmer, Stryker, etc.) making artificial joint replacement parts for nearly every joint in the body.
Joint Replacements From 1960 to Present
Research shows that the first hip replacement surgery was performed in 1960. Back then, hip replacement surgery was considered somewhat controversial as many patients and doctors believed that a body’s own bones and joints could not be improved by using artificial implants. However, improvements in surgical techniques and advances in the medical technologies have dramatically improved over the last 50 years. Now, nearly all orthopaedic surgeons and patients acknowledge that total hip replacement surgery is a safe, effective, and common method to help patients with hip, knee, and other debilitating joint problems.
In fact, some hip replacement surgeons have argued that hip implant and joint replacement surgery is one of the most important surgical advances over the last century. Because of its popularity, and potential profitability, hip manufacturers such as DePuy, Johnson & Johnson, Zimmer, and others have been competing to capture this potentially lucrative market. Unfortunately, as has been suggested with DePuy, sometimes manufacturers are in such a rush to roll out a “new and improved” implant device, they fail to properly test whether the hip, knee, or other joint implant is better than those that already existed on the market.
In addition, manufacturers such as DePuy have the economic incentive to prematurely push a product on the market to prevent its competitors from either putting an identical product on the market, or putting a product they claim to be better. Here, there are some studies that suggest DePuy’s chromium on cobalt design was not fully studied and perhaps rushed to market. As a result, the failure rate for the DePuy hip implants is much greater than its competitors. Now, DePuy has to recall nearly 93,000 defective hip implants that were placed in patients. These DePuy hip recall patients will likely require revision surgery and blood monitoring to determine whether or not the chromium and cobalt metals are being leeched into their bloodstream.
DePuy Hip Recall Attorneys in New Jersey and Philadelphia
Although 50 years of medical advances have gone into making hip replacement surgery a benefit to patients, we continue to urge these manufacturers to put safety over profitability when introducing the “new and improved” implant devices.
If you are the recipient of a defective DePuy hip implant, contact the Mininno Law Office for a free case evaluation. You may also call for a free consultation at (856) 833-0600 in New Jersey, or (215) 567-2380 in Philadelphia.
Our team is a ready and willing to work as hard as needed to earn you the compensation you need and deserve.
The Lincoln Specialty Care Center has had 2 routine inspections between November 2008 and October 2010. During this time period, the facility had 57 cited deficiencies. At an average of 25 deficiencies per visit, the Lincoln Specialty Care Center acquired almost double the amount of citations that some of the other troublesome nursing homes we’ve discussed have acquired.
Martin Chieng Were, M.D., M.S., a Regenstrief Institute investigator and assistant professor of medicine at the Indiana University School of Medicine, has received a $420,000 award from the Harold Amos Medical Faculty Development Program of the 
Silver Care Health Center has had two routine inspections in the two year period from November 2008 through October 2010. During those two routine inspections, the Silver Care Health Care Center was cited for 31 deficiencies. The Silver Care nursing home was cited for numerous violations, i.e. life safety code standard violations, housekeeping, drug regimen not being free of unnecessary drugs, and life safety from fire issues. A number of these deficiencies were considered widespread and able to cause more than minimal harm. 
The report provided by the agents that raided the clinic last February described the clinic as smelly and squalid. It noted pools of blood on the floor, a urine stench, and cat feces on the stairs the day they arrived. Women were semiconscious and moaning, sitting on dirty recliners with blood-stained blankets. 
The Kresson View Center had two routine inspections and 13 complaint inspections in the two year period from November 2008 through October 2010. The Kresson View nursing home was cited for a variety of deficiencies. These included the prevention and treatment of bed sores, medication errors of 5% or more, hazard and accident issues, and not being free from abuse/involuntary seclusion. The bed sore citation, although found to be isolated in nature, did show potential for more than minimal harm. The other above mentioned violations were found to occur in pattersn, and also showed the potential for more than minimal harm.
Recently, the prestigious Washington Post reported on a fairly widespread yet rarely discussed practice of medical device sales representatives to lurk in operating rooms, without patient knowledge or approval, and guide surgeons in the surgical procedure. According to the Washington Post, this practice of sales rep “assistance” is common among medical device companies including Johnson & Johnson, Stryker, Zimmer, and DePuy.
On August 29, 2000, Richard Flagg was admitted to Meadowlands Hospital to have portions of his left lung removed due to a cancerous tumor. His surgeon was Dr. Santusht Perera. When Richard awoke, Dr. Perera informed him that during surgery he found an even larger tumor on his right lung, and that by removing portions of that lung instead, he had saved his life.
The Cumberland Manor nursing home had 2 routine inspections from November 2008 through October 2010. During those 2 inspections Cumberland Manor was cited for 26 deficiencies. Many of the deficiencies cited were considered to either show a pattern or be widespread. Among them were citations for medication error rates of 5% or more, food sanitation and preparation issues, and citations for a pattern of abuses regarding the dignity and respect of the individual patients. 
Under this system, all DePuy hip recall patient should have a specific medical record in their chart which will show which DePuy hip implant products where used. Specifically, for DePuy hip recall patients, there should be a label taken directly from the package that was opened up in the operating room and affixed in the chart. This DePuy label should identify the DePuy hip replacement system (e.g. ASL XR, Pinnacle, etc), the model number, and serial number for the DePuy hip implant.