The New York Times published an article predicting that the sum of artificial hips operations would run into the billions. Legal and medical professionals foresee that hip replacement surgeries may sum up to billions of dollars in following years, resulting in a booming cost of medical care.   

In December 2011, the New York Times reports about grievances of clients over DePuy Orthoapedics Inc. compensation program through Broadspire Services.  Broadspire is responsible for the compensatory claims of  complainants.
 
For instance, Paula Laverty was warned by her hospital that they would sell her debt of $41,578 to a debt collection agency, if she did not pay the whole amount.  After some time in settling the situation with DePuy, she discovered that the company only paid $18,000 to the hospital. This situation illustrates a negative outcome of Broadspire Services.
 
“Things have not gone smoothly,” is the New York Times description of DePuy’s recall claims compensation process.
 
Problems with the design of DePuy metal-on-metal hip devices may had led to the rubbing of metal components against each other and casting microscopic metal bits into the body. Problems resulting from faulty DePuy hip replacement surgery are:
 
·         Unexplained hip pain
·         Hip dislocation
·         Swelling
·         Complete hip failure
·         Metallosis (metal toxicity or blood poisoning)
·         Pseudotumors
·         Additional hip replacement or revision surgery
·         Loosening of hip device
·         Bone loss
·         Inflammatory reactions
·         Presence of chromium and cobalt in the blood that may lead to cancer
·         Detachment of the hip device from the bone
·         Tissue damages
·         Genotoxicity (genetic damage)
·          Bone fractures
 
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have taken notice of about 400 negative feedbacks from DePuy clients between 2008 and the time of its recall announcement. Many of these clients need a second hip replacement surgery.  DePuy Orthopaedics, Inc. and its mother company Johnson & Johnson are currently facing various lawsuits filed by law firms in UK, US and Australia, in behalf of patients who underwent hip replacement operations.
 
DePuy Orthoapedics Inc. and Johnson & Johnson should circulate a vast range of information regarding malfunctioning hip replacement symptoms so that its patrons would be provided with due medical attention.

 “Most major medical centers have seen issues with this device,” Dr. Joshua J. Jacobs, the chairman of orthopedic surgery at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, says in a newspaper interview. Legal experts report that numerous patients have filed lawsuits against Johnson and Johnson. According to legal observers, the DePuy hip replacement recall should serve as a lesson to other device manufacturers to strengthen and certify the safety of their products.  Hence, if you experience any doubts and concerns about your hip surgery, immediately consult your doctor on your health condition. And you should further seek legal advice to know your rights as a victim and whether you are qualified for compensation.

References:
bloomberg.com/news/2010-09-03/johnson-johnson-sued-over-recalled-implanted-hip-replacement-devices.html
arthritistoday.org/news/asr-depuy-hip-replacement-recall078.php
nursinghomesabuseblog.com/defective-products/defects-with-depuy-hip-replacement-hardware-may-be-responsible-for-complications-following-hip-surgury/