A year and a half after DePuy’s massive hip replacement recall, the United Kingdom’s counterpart to the FDA (called the “MHRA”) has issued updated guidelines for the treatment of patients with any kind of metal-on-metal hip implant.
A complete copy of the hip implant treatment recommendations can be accessed here.
The MHRA recommend that patients who have any large-diameter metal-on-metal hip implant (such as the DePuy Pinnacle 36mm or 40mm metal-on-metal implant) receive essentially the same treatment as patients who have the recalled ASR hip implant. Among other things, the MHRA recommends that:
- Both symptomatic and unsymptomatic patients should receive annual blood tests to check for the level of cobalt and chromium.
- If the a blood test shows a level of cobalt or chromium of 7 parts per billion or more, then another blood test should be done in 3 months.
- All symptomatic patients should receive a MARS MRI or an ultrasound.
- All unsymptomatic patients should receive a MARS MRI or an ultrasound if thei level of cobalt or chromium in their blood is rising.
The MHRA recommends that doctors should consider a revision surgery if (1) MRI or ultrasound images show abnormal results, or (2) if the level of cobalt or chromium in the blood is rising.
Dr. Susanne Ludgate, Clinical Director of the MHRA, said in a statement:
As a precautionary measure, we have today issued updated patient management and monitoring advice to surgeons and doctors that they should annually monitor patients for the lifetime of their metal-on-metal total hip replacements that are sized 36 millimetres or more because this particular type of hip replacement has a small risk of causing complications in patients.
This updates previous advice that patients with this type of hip replacement need only be monitored for a minimum of five years after their operation.
The following chart depicts the recommendations of the MHRA:
HIP IMPLANT RECALL CLAIMS
We currently represent people from across the country and around the world who had a DePuy ASR hip implant or a metal-on-metal Pinnacle hip implant that failed. If you or a loved one suffered an injury caused by a metal-on-metal hip implant, you may be entitled to recover damages in a lawsuit against the manufacturer.
ABOUT OUR HIP IMPLANT RECALL ATTORNEYS
We have an unparalleled depth of knowledge about hip implant litigation that comes from years representing orthopedic companies. For example, the firm’s partner, Brian Devine, worked for years at Sulzer Medica, a global manufacturer of hip and knee implants. As its Assistant General Counsel, Brian was responsible for all of the firm’s product liability cases worldwide. When the company suddenly had to recall several thousand hip and knee implants in December 2000, Brian was given lead responsibility for managing the resulting avalanche of litigation. He managed thousands of individual cases and directed attorneys in almost every state in the country. He then took a leading role in negotiating a nationwide class-action settlement which provided $1 billion in compensation to those who were injured by Sulzer Medica’s hip and knee implants.
Brian now uses his experience to help victims who are injured by orthopedic products. His legal and medical knowledge combined with the unique perspective he gained while working for a medical device company makes him a formidable adversary. Brian’s skill as an advocate is best proven by his results. In the last few years alone, he has recovered more than $20 million for a wide variety of clients. He has scored five victories in excess of $1 million, and his largest victory is a $3.7 million settlement on behalf of a single client.
We have offices in San Francisco, California. We represent injured persons nationwide through our network of experienced and dedicated attorneys.
Our description of your legal rights is not intended to constitute legal advice and is not intended to imply that any product is defective. That can only be determined through a case-specific investigation. This site is not affiliated in any way with any manufacturer of hip implants.
