Notice: Thank you for visiting our informational page regarding Wright Conserve Hip Replacement claims. At this time we are no longer accepting cases regarding Wright Conserve Hip Replacement cases. However, if you feel that you have any questions about other defective medical devices, dangerous drugs, recalls, or any additional legal concerns that we may help you with, please call us or fill out the evaluation form.
The Wright Conserve hip replacement line is supposed to offer patients an effective hip replacement with better outcomes than earlier types of implants. Unfortunately, a number of patients have reported unexpected health effects after having their Wright Conserve hip replacement implanted. Many of these patients have gone on to file lawsuits against the manufacturer, Wright Medical. If you or someone you love has had a Wright Conserve hip replacement, you may have a right to recover damages for your medical bills, suffering and more. You need to talk to a Wright Conserve hip replacement lawsuit lawyer.
John Foy & Associates offers some of the most experienced medical device lawyers in the country. Our firm works exclusively for patients and those who have been harmed or injured—we never defend cases on behalf of the manufacturers. And for more than 20 years we have been helping patients, taking on big medical, and winning cases. Our attorneys are now exploring possible lawsuits against Wright Medical related to these hip replacements. Give us a call—and consult with a top lawyer for FREE. Call us at 404-400-4000 and get your free consultation today.
What Was the Wright Conserve Line of Hip Replacements Designed to Do?
The Wright Conserve line was developed by Wright Medical as part of a new generation of metal-on-metal hip replacements. In other words, both parts of these hip replacements—the “head” of the lower part, and the socket it fits into so it moves like a normal hip, or the “ball and cup”—were made of metal. This was considered an advance over previous generations of hip replacements, because metal can be machined very smooth.
The hope for these new metal-on-metal implants was that they would move more freely, with less wear and tear through repeated use. The expectation was that they would last longer than other types of hip replacements, take longer to wear out, and have a lower need for “revision” surgery. In other words, patients would be less likely to require additional surgeries.
In reality, a substantial number of these implants do require revision surgery—from 19 to 22 percent, according to a research review published in the Journal of Functional Biomaterials. The same review stated that approximately 40% of those revision surgeries involve metal related pathology. This is the same cause that’s alleged in lawsuits by patients.
Why Have Patients Filed Lawsuits Involving Wright Conserve Hip Replacements?
There have been concerns over metal-on-metal hip implants since at least 2010. By 2012, enough lawsuits had come forward related to the Wright Conserve implants that they were consolidated into a single court with a single judge. Many of these lawsuits share a single set of allegations:
- They allege that the Wright Conserve implants release too much metal debris into the body,
- They allege that this metal debris has caused metal toxicity and related symptoms in patients, and
- They allege that Wright essentially marketed a defective device that is harming patients
According to these lawsuits, the metal ball and metal cup of these devices rub together, which causes too much friction—and releases metal particles into the patient’s body. The metal particles would then enter both the surrounding tissue, and the bloodstream, allowing the particles to reach other parts of the body. It is believed that some patients’ bodies then develop metal toxicity, which can lead to severe health problems.
What Is Metal Toxicity? What Kind of Harm Can It Cause?
Metal toxicity can develop when there are excessive levels of metal in the body. Unfortunately, this can lead to severe health conditions which may affect:
- The thyroid
- The heart
- The nervous system
- Vision and/or hearing
Additionally, it is believed that metal toxicity can cause a severe inflammatory response from the body. This would be an immune response from the body reacting to the metal as a foreign presence in the body. If this is true, this kind of inflammatory response could cause damage to muscles and other tissues. This kind of damage is alleged to lead to complications in revision surgery with metal-on-metal hip replacements. Surgery complications can involve severe medical effects in their own right.
What Other Effects Are the Wright Conserve Hip Replacements Alleged to Cause?
In and around the hip area, patients have described such symptoms as:
- Hip dislocation or hip fracture
- Difficulty walking or even standing
- Crunching sounds or popping noises when moving
- Extreme pain
- Inflammation and/or infection
Additionally, the FDA states that metal-on-metal hip replacements could cause health conditions in other areas of the body. The conditions they include are:
- Renal function (kidney) impairment
- Cardiomyopathy
- Neurological changes including auditory or visual impairment
- Thyroid dysfunction, which may present as weight gain, neck pain, fatigue or feeling cold
- Depression, cognitive impairment, or psychological effects
- Skin rash
Exactly Which Wright Hip Replacements Are Implicated?
Lawsuits have focused on four specific implants:
- Conserve Femoral Hip Surface Replacement
- Conserve Plus Total Resurfacing Hip System
- Conserve Total A-Class Advanced Metal
- Conserve Total Hip System
If you or your loved one received any one of these implants or replacements, and suffered health effects similar to those described above, we would be very interested in talking to you and helping you determine if you may have a case against Wright Medical.
I Received a Wright Conserve Hip Replacement. What Are My Rights?
Patients need to be able to trust both their doctors and the manufacturers of any medical device they use. If the Wright Conserve hip replacements were defective, then patients have a legal right to recover damaged. These damages would include:
- The cost of all medical bills related to the hip replacement and its complications
- Lost work time
- Pain and suffering and other personal losses (such as the inability to walk)
- If you lost a loved one, you may be able to file a wrongful death claim
At John Foy & Associates, we don’t believe this money can undo serious medical complications. But we’ve made it our mission to fight for patients and the victims of defective medical devices. We’ve seen how a successful settlement can make a difference in a patient’s life—by eliminating medical debt, paying for the treatment you need, and helping you and your family move forward with financial stability.
If you believe you’ve been harmed by a Wright Conserve hip replacement, don’t risk missing out on your rights. Talk to a lawyer.
Talk to a Wright Conserve Hip Replacement Lawyer for Free
John Foy & Associates makes you a simple promise:
- We give you a FREE consultation to get you the answers you need
- We charge you NOTHING if we don’t recover money for you
Let us put two decades of experience to work for you. Give us a call and get your free consultation. Contact us at 404-400-4000 or fill out the form to your right and get your FREE consultation today.