Data on the success or failures of hip implants is difficult to come by in this country, as there is no national joint registry that tracks these devices. Australia, however, does maintain such a registry, which collects data from every knee and hip implanted on that continent. This data is invaluable to patients and healthcare providers, as well as medical device manufacturers. Quite simply, this information reveals what implants are working and which are problematic.
The annual report of the Australian Joint Registry shows that the Profemur Z hip implant, manufactured by Wright Medical Technologies (Arlington, TN), amazingly shows an 11.2% failure rate at the three year interval (see page 104). This implant has a modular stem, meaning it is not one piece, but two (see photo). Theoretically, this allows the surgeon more options for modifying the implant geometry and should yield better results, however, the fact of the matter is that these Profemur Z implants are fracturing and failing at an alarming rate.
All this begs the question: where is the FDA? A review of the FDA’s adverse event reporting database shows 10 failures of these hips in the past 5 months, and it should be noted that it is generally understood that this database reflects a gross under-reporting of adverse events, meaning the actual number of failures is likely higher. Clearly the Profemur Z Hip stem is problematic and the issue needs to be addressed by Wright Medical Technologies.
If you or a loved one has suffered from a fractured Profemur Z Hip Implant, please contact us immediately to speak to an attorney.
Profemur Z X-Ray
This past December 2010, the New York Times reported that Johnson & Johnson’s DePuy A.S.R. hip implants have been “failing worldwide at unusually high rates after just a few years.”Despite being promoted as a breakthrough in hip replacements, the faulty DePuy A.S.R. (which stands for Articular Surface Replacement) is now being called “one of the most troubled orthopedic implants of the past decade.”
