DePuy Hip Implant Recall - Senate Special Committee on Aging

On April 13, 2011, a hearing was conducted by the United States Senate Special Committee on Aging.  This hearing focused on the DePuy hip replacement recall and how the FDA played a role in permitting these hip implants, which were an  untested and dangerous product onto the market. A video of the entire hearing can be viewed here. Medical Devices - Depuy Hip ImplantsKatherine Korgaokar testified that approximately 3 years after her DePuy metal on metal hip replacement implant she had elevated levels of chromium and cobalt in her body.  Not only were these metals present in her body they were 1,000 % higher than they should be.

When she discovered that her doctor was paid by Depuy for implanting these metal on metal hip replacement implants, she expressed concern: "Additionally, I am concerned that the doctors who are actually installing these medical devices may not be fully committed to the wellbeing of their patients. Specifically, I recently learned that the surgeon who recommended that I have the DePuy ASR installed in my body had actually received more than $600,000 from DePuy in “consulting income.” (A Disclosure Statement from the DePuy website showing payments to my surgeon is attached hereto as Exhibit A.) This was never disclosed to me before my surgery. Although I would like to think these payments had no influence on my doctor’s decision to use the ASR, I will always have doubts."

Katherine expressed her concerns regarding the lifelong health risks related to this DePuy ASR metal on metal hip implant: "After speaking with my doctor about these concerns, I learned that research had shown that excessive levels of cobalt in the blood could potentially impact the development of a fetus. I also learned that excessive levels of cobalt and chromium had been linked to several serious health conditions such as cancer and cardiomyopathy. As a result, my doctor recommended that I have the hip replaced as soon as possible. In January 2011, I underwent my second hip replacement surgery. This time, the surgeon installed a more traditional hip with a polyethylene liner in the cup. The recovery from this second operation has been substantially more difficult than my first. The pain is much worse and it has been extremely difficult to get around. Only recently has my mobility improved to the point where I no longer need crutches. For the past three months I have essentially been confined to my home trying to get through this. Going forward, I have serious concerns about how this incident will effect my life. I am told that undergoing a hip revision surgery so soon after my first surgery, will likely result in me experiencing more pain, dislocations, and other problems down the road."
"This is because each operation affects the muscles, tendons, and bones in the hip and makes the hip less stable. I am also told that as a result of this incident I may have to undergo one or more additional hip operations later in my life that could have possibly been avoided. Most importantly, however, I fear that given the small window I had to start a family, this operation may have forever prevented me from ever having children."

If you or a loved one has received a DePuy ASR hip replacement implant, find out what your rights are, NOW. There is a only a limited amount of time.

Call Law Offices of Lisa Douglas 501-798-0004 or contact us through the live Chat.
Law Offices of Lisa Douglas