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The Johnson & Johnson/DePuy Pinnacle Hip Solutions System is a device used in total hip replacement surgery. One version of this system has a metal cup that is placed in the acetabulum, the cup-shaped cavity on the lateral surface of the hip bone, and a metal ball that acts as the femoral head that attaches to the femur in the leg. The Pinnacle Hip Solution System has a modular design that allows for three liner options including Ultamet (metal), Marathon (polyethylene) and AltrX (ceramic) to fit in the metal cup.

Potential complications that have been reported with the metal-on-metal articulation of the Pinnacle Hip Solution System include loosening of the device, pain in the hip, swelling, metal sensitivity, dislocation, and elevated metal ion levels. While this is not an exhaustive list of the complications reported by patients, these are the most prevalent. Many patients have had to undergo revision surgeries as a result of these complications.

In 2000, the DePuy Pinnacle Hip Solutions System entered the U.S. marketplace. Below is some critical information you need to be aware of:

• This device has not gone through a rigorous pre-market approval process with the Food & Drug Administration (FDA)
• There have been approximately 1,500 complaints filed with the FDA regarding the DePuy Pinnacle
• The DePuy Pinnacle system may require a revision procedure
• The Johnson & Johnson/DePuy Pinnacle system sometimes creates metal debris that enters the blood stream and may cause failure of the device and other problems
• You may have serious problems with the Johnson & Johnson/DePuy Pinnacle system and not be experiencing any symptoms at all

On May 24, 2011, the United States Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation ordered “coordinated or consolidated” pretrial proceedings for cases filed in federal courts regarding the DePuy Pinnacle Hip System. The Panel assigned the cases to the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas before Judge James E. Kinkeade.

This litigation is not a class action; the cases will be filed individually but will be transferred to the Northern District of Texas as part of the consolidation. This consolidation was accomplished for the pre-trial matters in this litigation. It allows for an efficient and expedited pre-trial process for litigation of this nature. It also allows for consistency of rulings on matters between the parties.

This law firm is representing a number of individuals who have suffered early failure of their metal-on-metal DePuy Pinnacle Hip Solutions System. If you are the recipient of a DePuy Pinnacle device, please contact us at 1-800-247-1623 or johnhart@hartlaw.com for a free consultation regarding your legal rights.

DePuy Pinnacle® is a registered trademark of DePuy Orthopaedics, Inc., a subsidiary of Johnson and Johnson, and is used for informational and product identification purposes only.