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Metal-on-Metal Hip Devices Causing Personal Injury

Many Hip Devices Shed Metal Particles, Causing Personal Pain and Further Injury, Tissue and Bone Damage, Toxicity

Artificial hip replacement devices, but especially Metal-on-Metal (MoM) hip implants, come with unique risks associated with the daily wear on the ball and socket. The metal ball and the metal cup are in constant contact while walking and running. As a result, microscopic metal bits or particles shed away from the device and enter into the tissue around the implant. Further, these metal particles can transmute to metallic ions which can then enter the bloodstream. Even if the surgeon takes every precaution, the shedding of metal bits and particles cannot be completely prevented or avoided.

To be sure, not all people who receive MoM hip implants have the same reaction to the metal particles or ions. It is impossible to predict who will experience a negative reaction to the metal debris, and if so, what precisely that negative reaction will be. Also unknowable is when the negative reaction might happen or its severity. Still, it is true that over time, the metal debris shed by MoM implants can cause serious damage to bone and tissue in the hip area, called "adverse local tissue reaction (ALTR)" or "adverse reaction to metal debris (ARMD)." Further, the metallic ions can effect the heart, nervous system, and thyroid gland. In many cases, the resulting pain compels a "revision surgery" which replaces the implanted device with a new one.

Do you have any of these symptoms:

• Groin pain, or pain in the hip or leg
• Swelling at or near the hip joint
• Limping

These symptoms may not mean that you are experiencing a negative reaction to the metal debris from the device. Consider a complete evaluation by your medical professional who may perform certain tests such as special imaging, joint aspiration (using a needle to extract fluid from near the hip joint), and blood tests for the presence of metallic ions.

Note that there are other symptoms which are not intuitively associated with a negative reaction to a hip device but which may in fact be the result of the defective hip:

• Heart - chest pain, shortness of breath
• Nerves - numbness, weakness, change in vision or hearing
• Thyroid - fatigue, feeling cold, weight gain
• Kidney - change in urination habits

Indeed, the FDA recommends that even asymptomatic persons with MoM hip devices follow-up with their orthopaedic surgeon or medical professional. For any symptom or during any chech-up, it is prudent to inform your medical professional that you do have a MoM hip.

Contact the firm with any questions as to your rights.