A Biomet metal hip replacement lawsuit was filed by an Ohio woman against the manufacturers of the M2A-Magnum hip replacement system after the metal hip implant allegedly failed and caused the plaintiff severe pain and suffering.

Plaintiff Gwendolyn Nall filed a metal hip replacement lawsuit against Biomet Inc. in Indiana court last month, as part of the larger multidistrict litigation In re: Biomet M2a Magnum Hip Implant Products Liability Litigation.

Nall received Biomet’s Magnum hip replacement device on Jan. 6, 2010 in her right hip as part of total hip replacement surgery. Shortly after her the surgery, Nall began to experience increased pain, discomfort, soreness, dysfunction and loss range of motion in her right hip.

According to the Biomet metal hip replacement lawsuit:

“Subsequently, on November 7, 2012, Plaintiff was required to undergo revision surgery … to replace the failed Magnum Device. Plaintiff was indicated for surgery due to an ‘adverse reaction to metal debris.’ During the surgery, (the doctor) noted ‘there was obviously involvement of a tissue reaction with black necrotic material.’”

Nall said in the metal hip replacement lawsuit that had she or her surgeon known that Biomet’s Magnum hip replacement system would cause her injury and require surgery to remove the Magnum device, they would have chosen a different type of hip replacement system, possibly a more tradition hip implant with a polyethlene liner.

Nall is only one of many patients who allegedly suffered from Biomet’s defective Magnum hip replacement system. Many Biomet consumers are filing hip implant lawsuits against the company after experiencing painful and unwanted side effects from the allegedly faulty hip replacement system design.

Background on Biomet’s Magnum Hip Replacement System

The M2A-Magnum Hip Replacement System designed and manufactured by Biomet was first given U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval in 2004 as a safe and effective metal-on-metal hip implant. However, by 2009, the FDA received a substantial number of adverse event reports regarding Biomet’s Magnum hip implant failing and causing the patient severe pain and suffering. In 2011 alone, 80 reports of alleged Magnum hip implant failures were filed with the FDA.

According to several lawsuits, Biomet allegedly knew that its Magnum hip implant would prematurely fail within the first couple years of implantation. Traditional hip implants are expected to last 10 to 15 years. According to the Biomet metal hip replacement lawsuit, Biomet also knew:

“the implant’s metal ‘ball’ and ‘socket’ bearings that make up the hip-joint generate metal debris over time from wear and tear that can spread throughout the patient’s surrounding bone and tissue. As a result of these defects, patients that have had the devices implanted have endured, or will endure, unnecessary pain and suffering; debilitating lack of mobility; inflammation, causing damage or death to surrounding tissue and bone[.]”

Because of these alleged complications and damages, patients implanted with the Magnum device will have to undergo hip revision surgery, which is even more debilitating than the original hip implant surgery, prolongs patient recovery time, and increases patient’s risk of complications during surgery.