January 04, 2017 - If you heard about the Stryker hip recall which occurred in July 2012, you may have been unsure of whether your hip implant was one of the recalled devices. Both the Stryker Rejuvenate and the ABGII were recalled, due to a higher-than-normal failure rate and excessive fretting and corrosion. The Rejuvenate was approved by the FDA in 2008, but was not actually marketed until early 2010. Yet less than two and a half years later, enough patients had submitted adverse event reports to the FDA regarding the Rejuvenate and the ABGII that there were serious doubts about the design of the two devices.
Far too many patients experienced such issues as Stryker hip metallosis, Stryker hip blood poisoning, Stryker hip infection and the development of Stryker hip pseudotumors. These issues could have caused such symptoms as chronic pain in the groin, hip or thigh, inflammation, loosening of the implant, necrosis of tissue and bone, loss of vision and hearing, cardiovascular, renal, thyroid, gastrointestinal and neurological disorders, DNA changes, reproductive disorders, vertigo, short-term memory loss, skin rashes, irritability, depression and anxiety. If you have suffered these types of Stryker hip side effects, but are not 100 percent sure your metal hip implant is a Stryker Rejuvenate, your first goal should be to answer that question for certain.
Finding Out What Specific Hip Device Was Implanted in Your Body
The orthopedic surgeon who performed your hip replacement surgical procedure will have a record of which implant you received. If you are unable to locate your surgeon, contact the hospital where your surgery was performed, as they should also have a record of what type of implant you received. Nearly 300,000 hip implant surgeries are performed in the United States every single year. In 2007, the use of metal-on-metal hip implant devices peaked, accounting for more than a third of all these implant surgeries.
Once the DePuy recall, the Stryker recall, and other recalls were publicized, the use of metal-on-metal hip implants dropped to about 10 percent of the total, or even less. In 2011, research indicated that twice the number of revisions for metal-on-metal hip implants occur as for other types of devices, including polyethylene, ceramic and metal-on-plastic. Despite the fact the Rejuvenate and ABGII implement a ceramic ball, the titanium stem interacts with the cobalt and chromium neck component, causing tiny metal ions to shear away from the device, leading to metallosis and metal poisoning.
Getting the Help You Need
Once you have determined whether your implant is, in fact, a Stryker Rejuvenate or ABGII, you can also find out whether you are entitled to take part in the Stryker hip settlement agreement (if you have undergone revision surgery). If you have not yet undergone revision surgery, you could still be eligible under the settlement agreement if you will have revision surgery in the future, however you will need to have a case on file to qualify. Regardless of your current circumstances, the attorneys of Sullo & Sullo can help you determine whether you have a Stryker Rejuvenate device, and what your options are for collecting compensation for injuries you have suffered as a result. Having an experienced Stryker hip attorney by your side can greatly impact the outcome of your potential Stryker hip lawsuit as well as your future.