Plaintiffs continue to seek damages with pending and new lawsuits, costing hip replacement companies more than $7 billion in settlements over the years. Here are some recent updates to litigation over hip replacement claims. September 2023: About 1,815 lawsuits are pending in various hip replacement lawsuit MDLs.

Patients complaining of premature device failures shared a $56 million settlement. Also in 2014, a $1.43 billion settlement was reached in a mass tort involving hip implants made by Stryker® Orthopaedics. These devices were found to have caused metallosis and other complications.

Hip implants are medical devices intended to restore mobility and relieve pain usually associated with arthritis and other hip diseases or injuries. Every hip implant has benefits and risks. Every hip implant system has unique device design features such as size, shape, and material, and dimensions.

There are no FDA-approved metal-on-metal total hip replacement devices marketed for use in the U.S. There are two FDA-approved MoM hip resurfacing devices available.

While hip replacement surgery isn't considered a risky procedure, as with any major operation, there are risks of complications.

The implants were said to cause a build-up of metal ions in the blood, causing groin pain, allergic reactions, bone erosion and tissue death. In 2013, DePuy ceased selling the metal-on-metal Pinnacle devices after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration strengthened its artificial hip regulations.

Surgery to remove and replace the worn metal-on-metal is the only treatment for metallosis. It stops the release of further metal ions. The doctor will remove diseased bone and tissue around the implant. With severe metallosis, the amount of tissue and bone necrosis, or death, determines the outcome of the surgery.

The three major types of hip replacement are:

• total hip replacement (most common)
• partial hip replacement.
• hip resurfacing.

Read through each type of hip replacement implant to learn more about the options that may be available to you or are likely to be the best option:

• Metal and Plastic Hip Implants. An implant made of metal and plastic is the most common type used in hip replacement surgery.
• Metal on Metal Hip Implants.
• Ceramic Hip Implants.

Posterior hip replacement approach This approach means no muscles are cut during the surgery, which allows for a quicker recovery time. Surgeon's advocating for the posterior approach will point to less damage to the muscles as the main advantage.

The surgical technique for a SUPERPATH® Hip Replacement was developed as an advancement to traditional total hip replacement. The SUPERPATH® technique is a tissue-sparing procedure which aims to get patients back on their feet within days (possibly hours) instead of weeks or months.

Hip Replacement (Posterior) Precautions: Don't bend your hip too far

• Don't lean forward while you sit down or stand up, and don't bend past 90 degrees (like the angle in a letter "L").
• Don't lift your knee higher than your hip.
• Don't sit on low chairs, beds, or toilets.

Full hip replacement recovery can take between six and 12 months. Most patients walk with help the same day as surgery or the next day. They usually resume routine activities between 10 and 12 weeks after surgery.

There are no FDA-approved metal-on-metal total hip replacement devices marketed for use in the U.S. There are two FDA-approved MoM hip resurfacing devices available.

Hip Replacement The Polymotion implant offers the biomechanical benefits of hip resurfacing while eliminating metal-on-metal articulating surfaces. Exactech and JointMedica were granted Breakthrough Device Designation for Polymotion in 2022 and announced the first surgeries with the system in early 2023.

The only treatment for metallosis is surgery. Pain following the initial hip replacement surgery is not always an indicator of metallosis.