Hip Implant Recall - How Will You Know If There's a Problem With Your Hip Replacement Implant?
You've been reading about the DePuy Hip Implant Recall and maybe also about the Zimmer Hip Replacement Recall. And yes, you had hip joint replacement surgery and are wondering... Do you need to worry about your own implant being defective? How would you know?
1) Do you have one of the recalled items?
If you have one of the affected implants, you may already have been informed by your doctor that your implant has been recalled. Then again, it may have slipped through the cracks.
Here are the recalled implants:
a) The DePuy ASR XL Acetabular Hip System and the ASR Hip Resurfacing System
b) The Zimmer Durom Cup
There has also been a recall of the faulty Sulzer implants, but that case was settled in 2002, and chances are that if you have had trouble with a Sulzer hip implant you would have had revision surgery years ago if needed.
2) Do you have symptoms?
Next, you should check for symptoms. These include swelling, pain, loosening of the joint, difficulty walking, instability, and more.
However, when it comes to the DePuy implants or the Zimmer Durom Cup implant, things are a little more complicated. That's because not all symptoms fit the typical picture.
3) No symptoms? You still need to see your doctor!
Even if you do not have any of the typical symptoms as listed above, or even no symptoms at all, you still need to check in with your doctor. Why?
Because the most dangerous problem of the DePuy and Zimmer implants is metal poisoning. Metal poisoning may cause all sorts of symptoms, from nausea to fatigue to memory loss, that most people won't associate with their hip replacement implant. And neither may their doctor, unless they go to the doctor who is familiar with their hip implants.
4) How do hip implants cause metal toxicity?
The DePuy ASR implants as well as the Zimmer Durom Cup implants basically work by letting metal glide on metal. Unfortunately, this appears to lead to miniscule particles of metal being released into the surrounding tissues and the blood stream, at least after prolonged use. And those particles cause metal toxicity.
5) Get legal advice
Whether you have symptoms right now or not, if you do have one of the affected implants, be sure to get legal advice. You don't want to make any of the common mistakes that could end up killing your case and your chances at getting compensation.
1) Do you have one of the recalled items?
If you have one of the affected implants, you may already have been informed by your doctor that your implant has been recalled. Then again, it may have slipped through the cracks.
Here are the recalled implants:
a) The DePuy ASR XL Acetabular Hip System and the ASR Hip Resurfacing System
b) The Zimmer Durom Cup
There has also been a recall of the faulty Sulzer implants, but that case was settled in 2002, and chances are that if you have had trouble with a Sulzer hip implant you would have had revision surgery years ago if needed.
2) Do you have symptoms?
Next, you should check for symptoms. These include swelling, pain, loosening of the joint, difficulty walking, instability, and more.
However, when it comes to the DePuy implants or the Zimmer Durom Cup implant, things are a little more complicated. That's because not all symptoms fit the typical picture.
3) No symptoms? You still need to see your doctor!
Even if you do not have any of the typical symptoms as listed above, or even no symptoms at all, you still need to check in with your doctor. Why?
Because the most dangerous problem of the DePuy and Zimmer implants is metal poisoning. Metal poisoning may cause all sorts of symptoms, from nausea to fatigue to memory loss, that most people won't associate with their hip replacement implant. And neither may their doctor, unless they go to the doctor who is familiar with their hip implants.
4) How do hip implants cause metal toxicity?
The DePuy ASR implants as well as the Zimmer Durom Cup implants basically work by letting metal glide on metal. Unfortunately, this appears to lead to miniscule particles of metal being released into the surrounding tissues and the blood stream, at least after prolonged use. And those particles cause metal toxicity.
5) Get legal advice
Whether you have symptoms right now or not, if you do have one of the affected implants, be sure to get legal advice. You don't want to make any of the common mistakes that could end up killing your case and your chances at getting compensation.
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