July 7, 2014 - The short answer to whether you can still hire a Stryker hip lawyer if you have already registered with Broadspire is—yes! You may be one of the thousands of people affected by the Stryker hip recall which occurred in July, 2012 for the Stryker Rejuvenate and the Stryker ABGII. Following this recall, over 2,000 people to date have filed a Stryker hip lawsuit against the manufacturer of the defective hip devices. Many patients with a Stryker Rejuvenate or ABGII developed serious Stryker hip side effects, including chromium and cobalt blood poisoning, Stryker hip pseudotumors, Stryker hip metallosis and Stryker hip infection. These serious side effects occur when the metal components of the Rejuvenate or ABGII rub against one another during periods of activity, particularly at the neck/stem junction. Tiny metal ions are released when friction occurs; the ions then travel to the bloodstream or bury themselves in the surrounding hip tissues.
What is a Broadspire Letter?
Following the Stryker hip recall, many Stryker implant recipients received a letter from Broadspire, a third-party company brought on board to protect the interests of Stryker. Many Stryker patients received a Stryker hip Broadspire letter which offered some level of compensation to patients injured by a Stryker recalled hip implant, including Stryker Rejuvenate revision surgery costs and Stryker ABGII revision surgery costs. As with most things in life, Broadspire wanted something in return: the company asked for the removed hip implants as well as access to the medical records of the patients signing the letter.
Why Did Broadspire Request Medical Records and Removed Implants?
Many people are convinced the ultimate goal of the Broadspire letter was to gain unrestricted access to the medical records of patients and ultimately reduce the potential liability of Stryker. It is also possible that the Broadspire letter will reduce the amount claimants will be allowed to recover. Further, turning over the removed Stryker implant to Broadspire—and ultimately to Stryker—gives the company important evidence the patient could have potentially used at trial. It is important to remember that simply because Stryker manufactured the hip implant, they are not entitled to the right to have those implants returned to them following revision surgery. You and other patients purchased the Stryker implant and thus are the owner of the implant regardless of whether it is in your body or has been removed.
How a Stryker Hip Attorney Can Help
Turning over your confidential medical records or the removed implant could turn out to have far-reaching, negative repercussions. That being said, even if you did sign the Broadspire letter, you may still have some options available to you. If you have not signed anything from Broadspire or Stryker at this point—don’t! If you have, it is important that you hire an experienced Stryker hip lawyer as soon as possible. A knowledgeable Stryker hip attorney can help ensure your rights and your ability to go to trial are properly preserved. If you have not yet undergone revision surgery, don’t wait to hire a Stryker hip lawyer—do it now. Your Stryker Hip attorney can help ensure the removed device is properly preserved to use as evidence in your Stryker hip lawsuit.