June 13, 2012 - The Stryker hip recall in July, 2012, has many of those with a Stryker Rejuvenate hip device implanted in their body extremely worried about their future. As Stryker noted during the recall, the Rejuvenate and the ABGII were recalled due to a higher-than-normal risk of fretting and corrosion at the neck junction, leading to the excess release of cobalt and chromium ions into the body. These cobalt and chromium ions can lead to Stryker hip metallosis and cobalt and chromium poisoning.
How Your Body Reacts to Cobalt and Chromium
Every person will have somewhat different tolerance levels to heavy metal build-up in the body; some of those with relatively low levels can experience serious adverse health issues related to metal toxicity. On the flip side, some patients with high levels of cobalt and chromium ions in their body may experience few overt symptoms of metal poisoning. Even so, any level of cobalt higher than 5 parts per billion is considered toxic.
Metallosis can cause inflammation, destruction of tissue and bone, groin and thigh pain, blackened tissue, chronic hip pain and an implant which could fail entirely and require revision surgery. Cobalt and chromium toxicity can lead to: gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, renal and neurological issues, loss of hearing and vision, vertigo, the development of pseudo-tumors, disruption of DNA, the development of certain types of cancer, gastrointestinal disorders, rashes, reproductive disorders, anxiety, irritability and depression.
Stryker Rejuvenate Failure Rates
At the time of the Stryker hip recall, the company would not put an exact number on the Rejuvenate failure rate. Independent research has placed that number anywhere from 40%-60%, with some doctors believing the number is even higher. This means that even if you have yet to suffer any ill effects from your Stryker Rejuvenate, there is a fairly high statistical chance that you will, in the future.
Risks of Stryker Revision Surgery
Making the decision to have your Rejuvenate removed, however, comes with many risks of its own. Surgeons generally consider the removal of a Rejuvenate to be much more complex than other metal hip revision surgeries. It can take an orthopedic surgeon as long as five hours to dig the stem of the Rejuvenate out of the femur, as the Rejuvenate stem is exceptionally long, and is implanted deeply. Some have likened the process of removing the Rejuvenate to that of removing a piece of rebar from cement which has already set up. Patients who are on the operating table as long as required for a Stryker Rejuvenate revision surgery are exposed to infection, excess bleeding and nerve damage.
The Rejuvenate neck component must be removed using a special modular neck extractor; once the neck is removed, then the stem component will be removed using a locking arm which will push the stem from its snug position in the femur. In some instances the femur bone will shatter and the surgeon will not be able to complete the surgery. The patient will be forced to be in a wheelchair until the surgeon determines the bone can be rebuilt. The recovery time for a Rejuvenate revision can be six weeks or longer, and the cost can run as high as $200,000. Finally, the mortality rate for revision surgery among patients with a Rejuvenate implant is as high as 2.5%, as compared to a 1% mortality rate for the original hip implant surgery.
Getting the Help You Need
Talk to your physician about the risks of Stryker Rejuvenate revision surgery, then speak to a Stryker hip recall lawyer regarding whether you have a Stryker hip lawsuit for a device you believed to be safe.