Wright Profemur Hips
Wright Profemur Hip Implant Injury
reviewing defective hip implants & recalled medical device cases
Product Liability Lawyer investigating medical device injuries linked to Wright Profemur hip implants on behalf of plaintiffs nationwide
The Wright Medical Profemur Hip Implant system was designed to be a better alternative to previous defective hip implants. Unfortunately, research has shown that Wright Profemur hip implants may fail and lead to revision surgery and chronic pain.
Plaintiffs have filed complaints and lawsuits, alleging the Profemur Z hip implant system fractures, corrodes, frets or causes infection. Wright has produced, marketed, and sold the Profemur hip since 2003. Thousands of patients have been implanted with the device.
It is alleged that Wright Medical failed to adequately assess and test the safety of the device before it was marketed to the public as a safe medical device.
Joe Lyon is a highly-rated Cincinnati, Ohio medical device defect attorney. If you or a loved one have been injured due to complications with a Wright Profemur Hip implant, contact The Lyon Firm for a free case evaluation.
Profemur Complications & Warnings
The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery issued a watch in 2016 for modular hip components due to reports of implant wear and corrosion. Industry experts have showed concern for the Profemur Z hip implants, which may be prone to corrosion, fretting and potentially catastrophic fracture outcomes.
A 2016 review published in The Open Orthopaedics Journal discovered a high failure rate among patients who received Wright hip implants. The study indicated that nearly 1 in every 5 patients who received a Conserve hip between 2005 and 2010 needed revision surgery to correct issued with the devices.
The FDA’s Manufacturer and User Facility Device Experience (MAUDE) has received at least two hundred Profemur fracture reports and other patient complaints. Common complications reported include:
- Metallosis
- Infection
- Tissue damage
- Hip Replacement Failure
- Revision Surgery
Wright Profemur Hip Lawsuits
Product liability lawsuits have been filed due to hip implant failures for many years. Settlements are likely to be recovered on behalf of patients who have experienced pain, infection, or needed additional surgeries without the first few years of implantation.
Wright Medical has agreed to settle some injury claims in the past and has resolved over a thousand lawsuits over its hip implants. The majority of lawsuits named Wright’s Conserve and Profemur hip as the cause of injury. Wright’s hip implants were manufactured by their OrthoRecon division. Wright Medical no longer makes hip implants.
Attorneys claim design defects and limited testing led to patient injury and implant failure, and Wright Medical may be liable for adverse outcomes. Potential signs of Wright Profemur hip problems have included:
- Chronic Hip Pain
- Difficulty standing or moving
- Feeling of instability
Metal-on-Metal Hips
The Wright Profemur hip system was designed to be modular, and thus could be adjusted for leg length. It was also meant to be more flexible, but that characteristic may have made it more prone to failure. Some consumers who received a Wright hip replacement have reported that the femoral neck broke or fractured, leading to serious pain and revision surgeries.
Metal-on-metal hip implants use alloys made from chromium, cobalt, titanium or other metals in the ball and socket portions. Metal-on-metal hip implants have been largely problematic from the start as the friction between the ball and socket may release a small amount of metal, and patients risk metal poisoning. The buildup of metal ions in the tissue can lead to muscle and bone damage.
Profemur Hip Recall
After reports of higher failure rate than other hip implants, in 2015, MicroPort Orthopedics, a company that purchased Wright Medical’s hip division, recalled 10,825 of the Profemur hip devices.
Patients implanted with the Wright Profemur implant who have experienced complications such as pain, fracture or loosening of the implant, or infection, may be eligible to file a product liability Wright Profemur hip lawsuit.
Consumer safety lawyers and product liability experts claim that Wright Medical attained FDA approval of the Profemur implant before it properly tested the device. The company pushed their new technology through the FDA’s 510(k) premarket approval procedure, which required no clinical studies because it was “significantly similar” to other implants already on the market.
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ABOUT THE LYON FIRM
Joseph Lyon has 17 years of experience representing individuals in complex litigation matters. He has represented individuals in every state against many of the largest companies in the world.
The Firm focuses on single-event civil cases and class actions involving corporate neglect & fraud, toxic exposure, product defects & recalls, medical malpractice, and invasion of privacy.
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The Firm offers contingency fees, advancing all costs of the litigation, and accepting the full financial risk, allowing our clients full access to the legal system while reducing the financial stress while they focus on their healthcare and financial needs.
Wright Hip Implants
Recipients of hip implant replacement systems like the Wright Profemur, Wright Dynasty and Wright Lineage models hope to reform their physical health and improve their quality of life.
However, when Wright hip implants allegedly cause injuries like metallosis, infection, tissue and nerve damage and requires painful revision surgery, plaintiffs can contact an experienced medical device lawyer and file product liability lawsuits.
The Lyon Firm takes medical device injury claims seriously and has had success engaging large medical device companies in implant defect claims to recover settlements and compensation to help pay for medical costs, pain and suffering, lost wages, future medical expenses and other damages.
We work with industry experts to hold negligent device companies accountable for defective hip products and to ensure that the consumer is protected in the future.
The Wright Medical Conserve Hip Resurfacing System is a metal-on-metal (cobalt-chromium alloy) hip replacement device, that has concerned safety experts for years. Metal on Metal hip implants can present health issues that other hip systems do not, including the risk of metal poisoning, or metallosis in patients.
The Wright Medical Lineage hip and Wright Dynasty hip replacement devices are also available in metal on metal versions, though not exclusively and they can present their own safety issues.
Implanting surgeons and patients have reported the need for revision surgery after infection, device loosening, fracture, implant ineffectiveness, tissue and nerve damage, and chronic pain. Revision surgeries carry an added risk to patients, and can cause additional long-term pain.
The Lyon Firm feels strongly that taking legal action against medical device companies that market and distribute unsafe and defective products improves the lives of consumers and discourages bad corporate practices. Wright Medical has faced numerous lawsuits regarding a hip implant that has allegedly caused injury and required revision surgery.
Wright Medical Lawsuits
In 2015, a recall was issued for the Profemur modular neck devices manufactured from June 15, 2009 to July 22, 2015. Because MicroPort Orthopedics, Inc. did not acquire Wright Medical Group’s OrthoRecon business until 2013, some of these recalled devices were manufactured by Wright, and they faced legal consequences.
The Profemur complications included fracture, fretting, implant loosening, metallosis and pain, all reported to the FDA’s adverse event database by doctors and patients.
In 2013, Wright medical sold its hip and knee manufacturing division for $290 million, which coincided with reported health problems linked to metal-on-metal hip implants like the Conserve, Dynasty and Profemur hips. Plaintiffs have alleged that Wright hip implant defects occur more frequently than other hip implant systems, and cite certain studies and injury reports.
A 2016 study found high, sooner-than-expected failure rates among 108 Wright Conserve metal-on-metal hips. The hips were implanted in 98 patients – some patients having both hips replaced. Usually, only 1 in 10 hip implants will fail within 15 years of being implanted. But the Conserve hips in the study failed in larger numbers and sooner.
While soreness is to be expected for a few weeks after implantation of the Lineage, Dynasty, Profemur or Conserve, chronic discomfort can be a result of Wright hip implant defects.
Why are these cases important?
Defective medical device litigation helps to improve patient safety and holds medical device companies accountable when defective products injure plaintiffs and clients.
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Questions about Defective Hip Implants
When a medical device has the potential to fail and cause injury, companies should voluntarily issue a recall. When a company injures patients with defective medical devices, a medical device lawyer may help you recover financial losses, medical expenses and other damages incurred through litigation.
Risks: The following factors are considered under Ohio law when determining the risks associated with the design of a product: (1) the magnitude of the risk of injury; (2) ordinary consumer awareness of the risk for injury; (3) the likelihood of causing injury; (4) the violation of a private or public standard; and (5) the consumer’s expectation of the performance of the product and level of danger. Ohio Revised Code 2307.5 (B) Product Defective in Design or Formulation.
Benefits: The following factors are considered under Ohio law when determining the benefits associated with product design: (1) the utility of the product; (2) availability of an alternative design; (3) the magnitude of risks associated with an alternative design. Ohio Revised Code 2307.5 (c)
Defenses for Defective Design: (1) a pharmaceutical drug or medical device is not defective by design if it contains an adequate warning of an unavoidably unsafe aspect of the pharmaceutical or medical device; (2) the dangerous aspect is inherent to the product, recognizable, and cannot be eliminated without compromising the product’s usefulness; (3) a lack of a feasible alternative design. 2307.75 (d)(e)(f).
EXAMPLES:
- Metal on Metal Hip Implants
- Lap Belt Only Seat Belts
- Transvaginal Mesh
- FMK Fast Action Trigger
- Lack of Insulating Link on Cranes
Design and manufacturing defects result in thousands of product recalls each year in the United States, initiated by federal safety agencies. Following injury and illness, regardless of recall status, victims and plaintiffs may pursue legal action and contact a product liability lawyer to begin the litigation process. Rightful compensation can be sought and help plaintiffs recover medical costs and other related damages.
Product liability law overlaps with regulatory law, which are the systems of legislative rules and administrative agencies, and part of federal and state governments. These agencies regulate the safety of the products sold to the public. Examples include:
- The Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
- The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA;)
- The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC)
The listed government agencies, however, may initiate recalls of dangerous products but do not provide remedies or compensation for damages where an individual is injured due to the defective product.
Our Firm will help you find the answers. The Firm has the experience, resources and dedication to take on difficult and emotional cases and help our clients obtain the justice for the wrong they have suffered.
Experience: Joe Lyon is an experienced Defective Device Lawyer. The Lyon Firm has 19 years of experience and success representing individuals and plaintiffs in all fifty states, and in a variety of complex civil litigation matters. Defective device lawsuits can be complex and require industry experts to determine the root cause of an accident or injury. Mr. Lyon has worked with experts nationwide to assist individuals understand why an injury occurred and what can be done to improve their lives in the future. Some cases may go to a jury trial, though many others can be settled out of court.
Resources/Dedication: Mr. Lyon has worked with experts in the fields of accident reconstruction, biomechanics, epidemiology, metallurgy, pharmacology, toxicology, human factors, workplace safety, life care planning, economics, and virtually every medical discipline in successfully representing Plaintiffs across numerous areas of law. The Lyon Firm is dedicated to building the strongest cases possible for clients and their critical interests.
Learn about Medical Device Approval Processes
Hip Defect Settlements
The Lyon Firm aggressively, professionally, and passionately advocates for injured individuals and families against companies due to a defective product or recalled product to obtain just compensation under the law.
IN RE: DEPUY ASR
METAL ON METAL HIP IMPLANTS
Nationwide Consolidation in U.S. District Court, Northern District of Ohio. The Depuy ASR Hip design was plagued with problems related to premature loosening and metallosis, caused by chromium and cobalt entering the blood stream. The resulting injuries were a result of the metal-on-metal friction inherent with the design of the product. Depuy recalled the ASR and entered into a global settlement valued at $2.5 Billion to cover an estimated 8,000 patients. The Lyon Firm represented several clients in the original settlement and continues to be active in this litigation. The settlement funds provided compensation for the revision surgeries, including compensating for medical costs, lost wages, and pain and suffering.
IN RE: BIOMET MSA MAGNUM
METAL ON METAL HIP IMPLANTS
Nationwide Consolidation in U.S District Court, Northern District of Indiana. Similar to the Depuy ASR, the Biomet metal-on-metal hip design allegedly contributed to premature hip failures and metallosis due to the metal friction. Biomet entered into a global settlement valued at $56 million to cover a few thousand claims. The Lyon Firm represented several plaintiffs in the original settlement and continues to be active in this litigation.
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