How to tell if you have one of the failed DePuy hips

Since the DePuy ASR hip recall 2 weeks ago, a lot of people are wondering:  “How do I find out if I have one of the failed hips?”  It’s a good question, but there’s no clear answer.

Failed DePuy ASR Hip removed from a patient during revision surgery

How the recall works: Usually when a manufacturer issues a recall, they include a list of batch numbers or serial numbers to identify specific products.  That way you can check and see if the recall affects you.  But the DePuy ASR hip recall doesn’t break it down into specific product batches.  The recall is for ALL of the affected hip replacements. That’s almost 100,000 hips replacements!
DePuy believes that 12%-13% of all of the implanted hips are failing in the first 5 years, but that number could be much higher.  And even a 12% chance of failure is high enough for anyone with one of these implants to be concerned.
So what do you do now?  Basically you’re in limbo.  If your DePuy ASR hip hasn’t failed yet, you will likely end up waiting to see if it does fail.  Either way, you should go see your orthopedic surgeon soon just to get checked out.
Some of the symptoms of the ASR hip failure are pain or trouble walking.  Many patients with loose ASR hips report having “lift off pain,” or sharp groin pain that lasts a few minutes after you get up from a chair.  If you’re having any symptoms at all, then it’s definitely time to see your orthopedic doctor right away.
You should also talk to an experienced medical product liability attorney immediately. That’s because if you do need another surgery to replace the failed DePuy ASR hip, it’s important to preserve evidence from the procedure.

Contact Us For More Information

Get more information about what steps to take if you think you have a DePuy Hip by calling (888)-952-5242. What concerns do you have about this recall?  Go ahead and post your questions or comments and we’ll start a conversation about it.  One thing is for sure:  You’re not alone.  With almost 100,000 of these hips out there, this is going to be an issue for a long time to come.