Nearly Half of All DePuy ASR XL Hip Replacements Could Fail: Report

Nearly half of all recalled DePuy ASR XL Acetabular hip replacement implants could fail within six years, a group of British orthopedic surgeons warn, which could result in thousands of people requiring revision surgery. 

Surgeons with the British Hip Society and the British Orthopaedic Association announced new projected failure rates for the DePuy’s metal-on-metal hip implant at the society’s annual conference last week.

In a joint statement (pdf) announcing their findings, the two organizations said that the problems with DePuy ASR hip implants could be a widespread issue with all metal-on-metal hips that use large diameter ball-and-socket configurations.

Surgeons reported that the DePuy ASR XL Acetabular Systems would likely reach a failure rate of 21% after four years. That number would be 35% if every implant recipient that experienced severe pain got revision surgery. However, after six years, the surgeons predict that number will spike to 49%.

The orthopedic surgeons found that either wear or corrosion were resulting in damage where the metal head attaches to the stem. They said that device failure often came with loosening of the acetabular component, loosening of the femoral component, or necrosis and soft tissue damage due to exposure to metal. They also said that the hip implants failures happen more often in women.

There were about 37,000 ASR XL Acetabular hip systems sold in the United States by DePuy Orthopaedics, Inc., a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, before a recall of the DePuy ASR Hip Systems was issued in August 2010. At the time of the recall, the manufacturers claimed that the DePuy ASR failure rate was between 12% and 13% within five years after surgery.

More than 500 people have already filed a DePuy ASR hip replacement lawsuit as a result of problems experienced after their implant failed. In addition, there are a number of DePuy class action lawsuits seeking to force the company to pay the medical expenses for testing for anyone who received an ASR implant and must have it checked to make sure it isn’t failing or causing metal poisoning.

In addition to lawsuits over the recalled DePuy ASR hip, the device maker also faces a growing number of DePuy Pinnacle hip replacement lawsuits. Although a recall for this other hip model has not been issued, a growing number of people have filed complaints alleging that problems with the DePuy Pinnacle hip design also increase the risk of pain and other complications, such as metal poisoning or metallosis, as the parts of the metal-on-metal hip replacement rub against each other.