Fight Dependency

In the medical device industry, DePuy Orthopaedics which parent company is Johnson & Johnson is known as an innovator. The company was among the first to develop metal-on-metal hip replacement devices geared towards younger and more active patients.Because DePuy was able to avoid pre-market clinical trials, DePuy hip replacements were placed on the market before consumers knew of the risks associated with these products. As a result that lead to litigation and a potential recall, complaints associated with the Pinnacle device include post surgical complications and failure rates in 12-13% of recipients. Like any other allegations thrown their way, Johnson & Johnson is ready to settle kinds illegal allegation.

Post surgical risks from hip replacement surgery include blood clots in the lower extremities that can travel to the lungs and cause a pulmonary embolism. Causing respiratory failure and shock can result from pulmonary embolism although this can be a rare situation. Difficulty in urination, local skin or joint infection, fracture of the bone during and after surgery, scarring, and limitation of the range of motion of the hip are other complications that can result. With the requirement of anesthesia, heart arrhythmias, liver toxicity, and pneumonia can be associated with this.

Premature loosening of the device from the bone, leading to failure of the device is the major reason of complaints of the 1,300 complaints received by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regarding the Pinnacle hip replacement. Within five years after their initial hip replacement surgery, it has been reported that one out of eight patients will need to undergo corrective surgery.

People filing for a DePuy Pinnacle Hip Replacement Lawsuit are not the only thing currently faced by DePuy Orthopaedics and Johnson & Johnson. With the allegations against their different products such as Tylenol, Risperdal, and the DePuy ASR Acetabular XL Hip Replacement system, a lot of challenges are in their sleeves.

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Tags: health, hip replacement, lawsuit, medicine