Zimmer Holdings, the nation's biggest producer of orthopedic devices, says it will suspend sales of an artificial hip component that some doctors have complained was failing at a high rate. In recent months, some doctors have complained that the device, a hip socket known as the Durom cup, was failing in their patients, who then had to undergo replacement surgery.

Zimmer said its investigation had determined that the product was not defective. But it stated that even some experienced surgeons had found it difficult to implant. The company said it expected to resume sales once specialized training for doctors had begun. Since it was first sold in the United States in 2006, the Durom cup has been implanted in more than 12,000 patients. Zimmer said it expected the overall need for early replacement in patients would be low. But Zimmer data and interviews with doctors suggest that hundreds of patients might need such procedures in coming years.

Learn more about Zimmer Durom hip implant injuries and your legal rights.