DePuy Pinnacle Metal on Metal Hip Missteps

Is it any wonder that there is DePuy Pinnacle metal on metal hip implant problems when the FDA classifies hip implants in the same medical device category as condoms?

Is it any wonder that there is DePuy Pinnacle metal on metal hip implant problems when there is no pre-market approval or clinical trials?

Shocking as that may be—Johnson & Johnson and their DePuy Orthopaedics subsidiary obtained approval for the DePuy Pinnacle artificial metal on metal hip without conducting rigorous premarket approval testing. It was approved under the 510(k) approval process as a substantial equivalent to older hip replacement devices.

The theory behind metal on metal (MoM) hip implants was supposed to be longer lasting but people who received the DePuy Pinnacle implants are having complications from metal ions in the bloodstream which negatively affect the heart (chest pain), the nervous system (numb/change in vision/hearing), thyroid (weight gain/fatigue/feeling cold), and kidney (change in urination). The wearing off of metal may also cause the hip implant to become loose or cause pain.

Symptoms of metal poisoning are:

• Pain in the groin, hip, or leg
• A limp while walking
• Swelling around the hip joint

Approximately 150,000 DePuy Pinnacle metal on metal hip implants have been implanted. Did DePuy know about the vast number of complaints and complications while still marketing the implant without warning doctors and patients?