Hip Revision Surgery
Why Hip Revision Surgery?
Hip revision surgery is an operation done to correct problems with an implanted artificial hip. The procedure is done when the original hip fails. It also is called total hip revision arthroplasty.
Arthroplasty comes from the Greek; arthro, meaning joint, and plassein, which means to form or to shape. Hip arthroplasty is done to replace or to reconstruct a joint.
Artificial hips are expected to last from 10 to 15 years. But, 12 to 13 percent of hips made by DePuy Orthopaedics are failing just two to three years after implantation. The company has sold 93,000 implants since 2003.
There are a number of reasons for doing hip revision surgery:
- To relieve pain
- To improve or restore the patient’s mobility
- To remove a damaged or loosened artificial hip before permanent injury is done to the hip joint
- To replace a fractured hip
- To deal with infection
- To fix a dislocated prosthesis
Hip Revision Surgery: The Procedure
Total hip revision arthroplasty involves removing the originally implanted hip prosthesis or hip joint, and replacing it with a new one. Materials used for prostheses include:
- Metal
- Ceramic
- Plastic
Combinations of these materials also may be used in the artificial joint.
Bone grafts also may be used. Two types of bone grafts are used by surgeons:
- An autograft — this involves taking bone from elsewhere in the patient’s body
- An allograft — this is when the surgeon implants bone from a donor
Revision surgery is a more complicated procedure than the initial hip replacement procedure. It may require bone grafts be made from the patient’s pelvis. Because it is a more complicated surgery, the results often are not as satisfactory as the first hip replacement operation.
Compensation For Hip Revision Surgery
In this country, the patient must show that insurance, or Medicare or both will help pay for the procedure before any surgery is done. In 2002, the cost of a typical hip replacement operation without insurance or Medicare was approximately $35,00 to $45,000.
Contact a Hip Implant Lawyer
Patients having hip revision surgery must handle many costs. There is the expense of the procedure itself, plus all the postoperative care the patient must have. The patient faces other costs besides financial ones. Pain is among the most serious.
The cost of recovery in terms of its affect on the patient’s daily life is also extreme. Someone undergoing hip revision surgery, in the early days after the operation, must learn proper ways to move, such as to sit, stand, or bend over, so as not to dislodge the new implant. Physical therapy is vital to a patient’s recovery.
Loss of the functions of normal, daily living, such as going shopping, cleaning one’s house, doing laundry, and other activities that go with being independent has a serious impact on hip revision patients.
If you or someone you love has had to have hip revision surgery, you should contact a hip implant revision surgery lawyer to discuss your options for a lawsuit. You deserve compensation for the pain, suffering and expense you have had to endure. We may be able to help you.
DePuy Hip Replacement Recall Information
DePuyHipImplantRecall.org intends to provide patients with up-to-date information about the recent DePuy hip implant recalls. For more information, please select from the following: