Those who have suffered serious adverse health symptoms from their Stryker recalled Rejuvenate or ABGII may have valid concerns and wonder “Should I get my Stryker hip removed?” While on the surface this may seem like a simple choice to make, the reality can be a different story. Removing the Stryker Rejuvenate or ABGII is not a simple process. When the stem of these Stryker hip devices is implanted, it is buried deeply within the femur. Following the surgery the patient’s bone is meant to grow snugly around the stem. Unfortunately, should the patient begin having issues with the Stryker hip implant, removal comes with many more potential risks than with most other types of metal hip implants.

Understandably, recipients of the Stryker Rejuvenate or ABGII hip implant device are concerned about the release of chromium and cobalt following corrosion of the implant. Those who watched the movie “Erin Brockovich” may recall that hexavalent chromium was found in the drinking water of a small town in California turning out to be an extremely toxic substance, causing cancer and other serious diseases.

 

While the Stryker Rejuvenate and ABGII are very similar in design, they do have a few very important differences, namely the length of the stem and the HA ingrowth coating used on the stem. These differences mean that the ABGII is not nearly as difficult to remove during a revision surgery as the Rejuvenate. The stem of the Rejuvenate is longer and is placed deeply within the femur during implantation. When the stem must be removed, in many cases it must literally be dug out of the bone

The Stryker Rejuvenate and ABGII were recalled in July, 2012, after a significant number of implant recipients developed serious medical problems from the hip device. Stryker changed the design of these two models substantially; rather than using a cobalt and chromium ball, they used a ceramic ball and instead of a single modularity device the company designed a dual modularity device which offered surgeons many more options when placing the implant. With a variety of component sizes, surgeons were able to custom fit each hip implant device to the patient’s body size and type as well as to their level of activity.

A primary concern facing the American public is the safety issues associated with the metal-on-metal hip implants used for hip replacement surgery. As the Baby Boomers in our society continue to age and continue to desire an active lifestyle, more and more hip replacement surgeries are taking place.