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DePuy Hip Replacements Failure Rate May Be As High As 49 percent

New research conducted by members of the British Orthopaedic Association has found that the rate of necessary revision surgeries for patients who received a DePuy ASR Hip Implant may be much higher than previously thought.

New research conducted by members of the British Orthopaedic Association has found that the rate of necessary revision surgeries for patients who received a DePuy ASR Hip Implant may be much higher than previously thought. The research indicates a revision rate ranging from 21% after four years to 49% after six years, nearly four times as high as the figures cited by DePuy in August 2010.

At the recent Malcomson Law Medico-Legal conference the statistical detail indicated by orthopaedic experts was that 60% of patients would require hip revisions after 6 years.

John Skinner, orthopaedic surgeon and Chair of the British Hip Society and British Orthopaedic Association, has said that the research is "probably the best indicator so far of what the failure rate is likely to be". Figures from the National Joint Registry in the UK had originally put the revision rate at 12-13%, and these figures triggered DePuy's decision to issue a worldwide recall.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is advising that reports of pain from this group of patients should be taken seriously, and that any metal-on-metal hip implant should be followed up regularly, as wearing and loosening of the components of the implant can lead to pain as well as soft tissue damage. Cobalt and Chromium ion levels in the blood must also be monitored; orthopaedic surgeons are advising that Ultrasound, as well as MRI, scans should be carried out to check for such abnormalities.

Approximately 3,500 Irish people have been affected by the recall of DePuy's ASR Hip Resurfacing System and the ASR Total Hip Replacement. Malcomson Law have been contacted by many of those affected and are recommending that anyone who has been informed that they have one of the DePuy ASR implants in question seek legal advice.

Click here to read the statement from the British Hip Society and the British Orthopaedic Association.

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