If you are the current or past owner of a hip replacement gone wrong (a failed hip surgery), you are not alone. In recent years, there have been a number of lawsuits against hip replacement manufacturers and their potentially dangerous hip replacements – Stryker Rejuvenate and ABG II total hip replacement systems DePuy ASR XL Acetabular total hip replacement system.
Issues People Face With Hip Replacements
Metal-on-metal hip replacement devices are dangerous because of the tendency for metal components to rub against one another, depositing small pieces of metal into a patient’s tissue, bone or bloodstream. This process results in Metallosis, a high toxicity of metal in the surrounding tissue and blood stream (elevated cobalt levels). Metallosis can cause:
- Necrosis (death of tissue)
- Osteolysis (bone dissolution)
- Pseudotumor formation (lesions surrounding total hip replacement components)
- Pain requiring hip revision surgery
- Loosening of the implant within the body
- Bone fracture near the implant site
In August of 2010, DePuy issued a recall of both its ASR hip systems (the ASR XL Acetabular System total hip replacement and the ASR Hip Resurfacing System), citing an unexpectedly high failure rate for the devices. The DePuy hip systems were implanted in more than 93,000 hip replacement surgeries internationally. As many as 40 percent of those patients could require a hip revision surgery to prevent serious complications and pain.
Although the Stryker Rejuvenate is not a metal-on-metal hip device, it has metal-on-metal components, which are responsible for metallosis in some patients. In April of 2012, Stryker issued an “Urgent Safety Alert” to surgeons and hospitals warning of the potential dangers of the Stryker Rejuvenate and the Stryker ABG II. The safety alert listed the potential dangers in the Stryker devices, including: “Excessive metal debris and/or ion generation,” caused by “fretting and/or corrosion at or about the modular neck junction,” which “may lead to increased metal ion generation in the surrounding joint space.” (Metallosis).
In July of 2012, after the FDA received more than 60 adverse event reports of metal toxicity requiring revision surgery, Stryker recalled its Rejuvenate and ABG II hip products. Stryker’s own website currently states:
“In June 2012, Stryker initiated a voluntary recall of its Rejuvenate and ABG II modular-neck hip stems. While modular-neck hip stems provide surgeons with an option to correct certain aspects of a patient’s anatomy and hip biomechanics, we decided to voluntarily recall these modular-neck hip systems due to the potential for fretting and corrosion at the modular-neck junction which may result in ALTR (adverse local tissue reactions), as well as possible pain and/or swelling at or around the hip.”
Do You Need Help?
If you have a Stryker Rejuvenate or ABG II, or a DePuy ASR XL hip replacement, you have legal options. Contact us online, or give us a call to discuss those options. We may be able to help you sue the manufacturer to recover compensation for your medical bills, pain and suffering, and other related losses.
Cuthbert Law Offices: (804) 485-2555