Complaints Begin to Grow Against DePuy ASR Causing Metallosis
In recent days many medical regulators have begun to investigate the DePuy ASR hip replacement system which sports a unique metal-on-metal (MoM) design. The biggest concern of these medical regulators is that, as the hip replacement wear down, metal particles may be released from the artificial hip and interact with the soft tissue such as muscle and ligaments surrounding the joint and enter the bloodstream. The resulting condition is a rare blood disease called Metallosis.
Some of the symptoms of Metallosis have been known to include: inflammation, infection, immobility, joint stiffness, lack of range of motion, tinnitus, vertigo, blindness, deafness, peripheral neuropathy, headaches, optic nerve atrophy, convulsions, cardiomyopathy, hypothyroidism, osteolysis, pseudotumors, skin rash, necrosis, and even loosening of a metal orthopedic implant. Specialized blood tests may be used to detect levels of toxic metals in patients experiencing these symptoms. In some cases, patients with DePuy implants have been found with 100 times the normal levels chromium and cobalt in their bodies. If the level of the body’s cobalt rises to far it causes a condition called cobaltism, which can actually cause damage to the body’s organs.
Normally metallosis is a rare condition for those who have received a replacement system for their joints, although hip replacement users have been known to be the most prone. Reports have shown that DePuy ASR devices have been more prone to cause debris problems when compared to the other hip replacement systems DePuy currently has on the market. When talking about Metallosis the biggest concern to the patients is that the only way to cure the disease is revision surgery. Meaning that the patient would have two choices; to have the replacement changed, or to have it removed altogether.This will lead to more pain and further rehabilitation time.
These reports of Metallosis have caused many who have received a DePuy ASR to file lawsuits against DePuy.The first lawsuit filed in the United States against DePuy over the defective ASR hip implants was in March 2009 almost 18 months before the device was recalled. In fact, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had received over 500 complaints about the devices and the metal-on-metal wear down before March 2009.
URL References:
drugsideeffects-info.com/drug-side-effects/musculoskeletal/metallosis/
Some of the symptoms of Metallosis have been known to include: inflammation, infection, immobility, joint stiffness, lack of range of motion, tinnitus, vertigo, blindness, deafness, peripheral neuropathy, headaches, optic nerve atrophy, convulsions, cardiomyopathy, hypothyroidism, osteolysis, pseudotumors, skin rash, necrosis, and even loosening of a metal orthopedic implant. Specialized blood tests may be used to detect levels of toxic metals in patients experiencing these symptoms. In some cases, patients with DePuy implants have been found with 100 times the normal levels chromium and cobalt in their bodies. If the level of the body’s cobalt rises to far it causes a condition called cobaltism, which can actually cause damage to the body’s organs.
Normally metallosis is a rare condition for those who have received a replacement system for their joints, although hip replacement users have been known to be the most prone. Reports have shown that DePuy ASR devices have been more prone to cause debris problems when compared to the other hip replacement systems DePuy currently has on the market. When talking about Metallosis the biggest concern to the patients is that the only way to cure the disease is revision surgery. Meaning that the patient would have two choices; to have the replacement changed, or to have it removed altogether.This will lead to more pain and further rehabilitation time.
These reports of Metallosis have caused many who have received a DePuy ASR to file lawsuits against DePuy.The first lawsuit filed in the United States against DePuy over the defective ASR hip implants was in March 2009 almost 18 months before the device was recalled. In fact, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had received over 500 complaints about the devices and the metal-on-metal wear down before March 2009.
URL References:
drugsideeffects-info.com/drug-side-effects/musculoskeletal/metallosis/