Is the DePuy Pinnacle as safe as advertised? According to a study by DePuy, nearly one million Pinnacle hips were implanted over 10 years, and after five years, 99.9 percent of them were still in place. But during the Pinnacle product defect trial, it came to light that these numbers were not wholly accurate and that DePuy had misled the medical community about the nature of the study that the 99.9 percent statistic came from.
DePuy claimed that the study was a prospective study. A prospective study follows a group of similar individuals who differ with respect to certain factors under study. This allows those people conducting the study to determine how these factors affect rates of certain outcomes over time. In terms of hip replacement surgery, it means you bring potential hip recipients into a physician’s office, you enroll them in the study, they have the hip replacement surgery and the doctors monitor the patient’s progress. What is key with prospective studies is that all patients requiring a hip implant would receive one, regardless of certain factors such as weight or other medical problems. Whereas in some other types of study, a doctor might be able to cherry-pick patients, potentially affecting the results, a prospective study is much more fair and reputable and gives more accurate data.
By declaring that the study was a prospective study, DePuy stated that all patients in the study requiring hip replacements would receive them. However, it turns out that many people that were implanted with the hip replacement were not, in fact, enrolled in the study, affecting the success rate.
This was but one of several problems with the study. Advertisements for the Pinnacle implied that over one million hips were implanted and studied, but in reality, only around 1,000 hips were studied. The ads also stated that 99.9 percent of those were still in place at the conclusion of the study, but actually, the study only looked at the number of hips that were replaced with respect to the cup. Pinnacle hips have multiple parts: the stem, the ball, the cup and the liner. Those that failed were only counted if the failure was related to the cup. As such, it is clear that the study was misleading, and data were cherrypicked to paint a positive picture of the Pinnacle hip implant.
What Do I Do If I Have a Defective Hip Implant?
Do you have an advocate looking out for your legal interests? Our law firm, Kershaw, Cook & Talley, has provided legal representation for hundreds of clients that have been affected by defective metal-on-metal hip implants. For decades, clients have relied on our knowledge and expertise in the fight against the manufacturers of harmful medical devices. If you or a loved one have suffered pain or injuries as the result of a defective hip implant, such as the DePuy Pinnacle, we want to hear from you. With our assistance, you can receive compensation for the struggles you have unfairly endured due to a defective hip implant. Call us at (888) 522-2372 toll-free to schedule a free, no-obligation consultation, or visit our website.
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Bill Kershaw is one of the founding partners at Kershaw, Cook & Talley. For more than 30 years, Mr. Kershaw represented clients in class actions and complex litigation in state and federal courts, including coordinated and multi-district proceedings. Prior to entering civil practice, Mr. Kershaw spent nine years in the District Attorney’s Office of Sacramento County where he tried approximately 75 cases to verdict and supervised the Consumer and White Collar Fraud Division, various felony trial teams, and the Career Criminal Unit.Bill has gained a national reputation as a personal injury attorney, particularly in the fields of personal injury, mass torts, class actions, and complex litigation in state and federal courts. He has served as court-appointed counsel, both lead and liaison, in a number of such proceedings across the country. Bill has gone up against some of the largest corporations in the United States on behalf of the injured – and won. Time and time again, he has proven that an unwavering dedication to the pursuit of justice can yield outstanding results for those in need.... View full business profile here: Bill Kershaw
