Irwin Mitchell Instructed To Pursue De Puy ASR, Finsbury Adept, Birmingham Hip Resurfacing and Conserve Plus Hip Implants

Specialist medical product liability lawyers representing hundreds of people who have suffered injuries and problems with metal-on-metal hip devices have now been instructed to investigate and pursue four separate brands of hip replacement products.

To date, the De Puy ASR metal-on-metal hip implants have been the main focus of a group legal action, but expert lawyers at Irwin Mitchell say they are investigating at least three other brands which have posed problems for patients.

As well as representing people fitted with the ASR implant, Irwin Mitchell is investigating:

• Finsbury Adept Total Hip Replacements
• Finsbury Adept Resurfacing Implants with femoral head components 46mm or smaller
• Birmingham Hip Resurfacing implants with femoral head components 42mm or smaller
• Wright Medical Conserve Plus resurfacing

Kevin Timms, a specialist medical product liability lawyer at Irwin Mitchell which is representing hundreds of people affected by problems with metal-on-metal hips, said:

Expert Opinion

What we have found is that many patients who have been fitted with metal-on-metal hip implants are reporting similar injuries regardless of which brand of device they are using.

“We are receiving many enquiries from people who have had issues with all four metal-on-metal hip implants and our investigations are ongoing into exactly what is causing our clients injuries. These are complex cases and it is important that specialist medical product solicitors are handling the investigations and bringing claims.

“In our experience many people with these hip implants don’t understand that the different metal on metal hips have different revision rates after initial implantation and that many hips differ markedly in performance from those that perform best over time. What this means is that some hips have significantly better outcomes than others and that many patients don’t know this when first they undergo assessment for hip repair

“It is important that anyone who is suffering pain or discomfort after having a metal-on-metal hip implant fitted should seek medical advice as soon as possible and should find out which implant they have in place that may be causing their pain.” Kevin Timms - Solicitor

The Finsbury Adept 12/14 Modular head is a total hip replacement using a metal-on-metal implant and has already been recalled from use by the manufacturer and  the Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency (MHRA).

After seven years, the number of people needing revision treatment is 12.1% and it is believed that 7,500 of these implants were used in patients across 21 countries while over 3,200 resurfacing implants by Finsbury have also been used in the UK. The resurfacing implants with a 46mm or smaller femoral head have also been recalled because of a seven-year revision rate of 11.64 %.

A study of the Birmingham Hip Resurfacing device (BHR) showed that while the 42mm femoral head version has yet to be recalled, it has revision rates of 8.3% after five years and 11.76% at seven years.

The Wright Medical Conserve Plus resurfacing implant has a 10.63% failure rate at seven years and 8.23% at five years: it is also yet to be recalled.

Patients using these implants have reported that their metal-on-metal implants have caused problems which include:

• Bone erosion
• Erosion of tissue/ muscle
• Fractures to their thigh bones
• Fluid around the hip
• Loose components
• Groin pain
• Difficulty walking
• Clunking/grinding joints
• Early revision surgery
• Long term / permanent disability
• Inability to work

Irwin Mitchell’s specialist team of metal-on-metal hip lawyers is also handling claims against De Puy involving its ASR and Pinnacle hip implants.

If you or a loved one has suffered due to metal-on-hip implants, our expert personal injury solicitors could help you claim compensation. View our Metal-On-Metal Hip Implants Claims page for more information.