If you have undergone a hip replacement procedure, you may be familiar with news reports surrounding recalled hip replacement systems and lawsuits that have been filed in Kentucky and around the country as a result of injuries allegedly caused by these devices. You may have concerns as to whether you have a recalled hip replacement and questions about how to find out if you do. Following a few simple steps may help answer your questions.
If you or a loved one has received a hip replacement and suffered complications, contact Attorney Group for Kentucky for a free consultation to learn more about your options. We can answer your questions, and if you have a case, we can connect you with an affiliated recalled hip replacement attorney who can assist you throughout the legal process.
Step One
Ask the orthopedic surgeon who performed the procedure. If the specific surgeon cannot be readily located, it may be possible to get the answer from the clinic or hospital that has the medical records on file. Alternatively, your regular doctor will likely have ready access to your records.
Step Two
In many cases, the surgeon or your regular doctor will be aware of a recalled hip replacement as recalls involve a specific list of hip implants from a limited number of manufacturers. Physicians and surgeons are often quite familiar with them. Once the exact medical device is known, you can consult the FDA’s website at FDA: Medical Device Recalls to see if the specific hip implant is listed among the recalls. It is even possible to get FDA email updates about any possible future recalled hip replacements.
Step Three
If the hip replacement has been subjected to recall, it is possible to research a history of court litigation in Kentucky and elsewhere that may be associated with the device. Some settlements have already been negotiated in metal-on-metal implant lawsuits.
Even if it is determined the surgically implanted device is not a metal-on-metal design, or that it has not been recalled, this information may still prove useful.
What Happens With A Defective Hip Implant?
Even hip implants that have not been recalled may still cause problems, and seeking compensation in court may be appropriate. Some hip implants were not aligned properly, and these devices may be prone to premature failure, or they may cause severe pain or difficulty in walking. Some implants were not secured to the hip bone successfully, and if one of these grows unstable, excruciating pain may result.
The components of various hip implants have been made of a number of different materials, like polyethylene plastic, ceramic, metal or a combination thereof. Metal-on-metal implants have caused the most concern recently for a number of reasons. Strong steel alloys were often used in the manufacture of the “ball” and “socket” that replicated the natural hip joint.
Manufacturers often used strengthening agents like cobalt and chromium in the steel. However, manufacturers allegedly did not foresee that the friction caused by the movement of the ball and socket could potentially release metal debris into surrounding tissue or even the bloodstream. Cobalt and chromium are both toxic metals, and metal poisoning has been linked to metal on metal hip devices.
Contact Us to Learn More
Whether the hip implant you or a loved one received is recalled or not, you may have legal options. Contact Attorney Group for Kentucky for a free, no-obligation consultation to learn more. If you have a case, we can connect you with an affiliated hip replacement recall attorney in Kentucky who can assist you in pursuing your claim.
