Soon after Maurice Brigham underwent surgery to implant a metal hip replacement, he started suffering from swelling, infection and pain. So he signed up for another surgery — this time, to remove the device, an ASR XL acetabular system — but infection prevented surgeons from removing the device.
The episode left the San Bruno, Calif., equipment operator bedridden, according to a lawsuit he filed on Aug. 30, 2010. The action names the hip implant’s manufacturer, DePuy Orthopaedics Inc., and its parent company, Johnson & Johnson Services Inc.
