Wright Conserve Hip Recall Lawsuit

Wright Conserve Hip Implants

Wright Conserve hip implants have recently been linked to serious complications like pain, instability, metal toxicity, and premature loosening and failure. Patients suffering these complications often have to go through revision surgery to have the implant replaced.

In December 2011, the FDA announced that it was looking into the safety of metal-on-metal hip implants, like the Wright Conserve devices. The agency also earlier required manufacturers to conduct additional testing to further determine the safety of these implants. Meanwhile, there has been no Wright Conserve hip recall, but plaintiffs filing a Wright Conserve hip lawsuit claim the manufacturer should be held liable for failing to warn the public of the risks associated with their products.

Reports Of Complications

Wright Conserve hip implants are made by Wright Medical Technology, a company headquartered in Arlington, Tennessee. The company also makes implants for the knee, hand, elbow, shoulder, foot, and ankle.

When the company first released its Wright Conserve family of implants, it referred to the products as “lifetime solutions” that reduced the risk of dislocation while increasing range of motion and durability. Post-marketing reports submitted to the FDA, however, indicated that many patients were experiencing complications with one of the following implants:

  • Conserve Partial Resurfacing Implant
  • Conserve Plus Total Resurfacing Implant
  • BFH Technology for Total Hip

Issues With Metal-on-Metal Hip Implants

Wright Conserve hip replacements are metal-on-metal implants. These types of systems use all-metal components which, when they fit together inside the hip, may rub against one another and deposit tiny shards of cobalt and chromium into neighboring tissues.

Similar to the DePuy ASR hip implant, which was recalled in August 2010, the Wright Conserve implants have a metal femoral head that fits into a metal acetabular cup. In some cases, these two components can rub against one another in an abnormal way, shedding tiny bits of metal particles into the joint, tissues, and sometimes into the bloodstream. Resulting symptoms may include pain, swelling, tissue death, bone damage, premature loosening, metal poisoning, and an inability to walk.

Studies And Reports Of All-Metal Implant Problems

A Wright Conserve hip lawyer is likely to note that in September 2011, the National Joint Registry for England and Wales released its Eighth Annual Report, which compared the Wright Conserve implants to other hip resurfacing implants. They found that revision rates for the Wright Conserve devices were significantly higher than other implants reviewed, with rates for the Wright Conserve Plus second only to the devices manufactured by DePuy.

Several scientific studies have also linked metal-on-metal hip devices with higher failure rates. In March 2012, The Lancet published a study concluding the devices should not be used because of the risks. A University of Bristol study reported a 6.2 percent failure rate within five years for all metal implants, compared to 1.7 percent failure for metal-on-plastic, and 2.3 percent failure for ceramic-on-ceramic.

In February 2011, each Wright Conserve hip lawsuit filed in federal court was transferred to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia for coordinated pretrial proceedings.

A Wright Conserve Hip Lawyer Can Help

Thousands of other plaintiffs have gone to court to seek compensation from companies that failed to adequately test their products before releasing them onto the market. The attorneys at Chaffin Luhana LLP will be happy to review your case and help you determine whether or not you may win compensation in a Wright Conserve hip lawsuit. Call today for a free and confidential case evaluation at 1-888-316-2311.