If you reside in Austin and are a recipient of a Stryker ABGII or Rejuvenate hip implant, preserving your right to a Stryker hip implant lawsuit by speaking to a Stryker hip attorney is crucial. Over 20,000 Rejuvenate and ABGII hip devices were marketed in the United States following FDA approval in 2008 and 2009. It is believed the majority of those devices were implanted, although the United States does not maintain a comprehensive database of hip implant devices. An urgent field safety notice was sent to doctors and hospitals in April, 2012 stating the two hip implants could have a higher risk of fretting and corrosion, leading to metal ions being released in the body.
Recall of the Stryker Hip Devices
Shortly thereafter, in July, 2012, both devices were recalled. The released metal ions could be responsible for failure of the hip implant as well as metal toxicity or metal poisoning once the cobalt and chromium ions enter into the bloodstream. When the ions enter the surrounding hip tissue, inflammation, chronic pain, and destruction of bone and tissue can cause the implant to fail. Once failure occurs, revision surgery becomes necessary. Unfortunately, revision surgery is both risky and expensive with a recovery time as long as six weeks.
Adverse Health Symptoms from Recalled Stryker Hip Implants
Metal toxicity has a variety of adverse health symptoms, most of them quite serious. Some of these symptoms include loss of vision and hearing, the development of pseudo-tumors, DNA disruption, chronic headaches, gastrointestinal disorders, neurological and cardiovascular issues, renal and thyroid problems, reproductive issues, depression, irritability and anxiety, balance issues and memory loss. In addition to the FDA receiving adverse health reports from recipients of one of the recalled Stryker implants, many surgeons across the U.S. submitted reports to Stryker regarding the inordinate amount of corrosion and fretting they noted when removing the ABGII or Rejuvenate from their patients during revision surgery. One surgeon noted the area around the modular neck junction appeared to have some sort of “black rust” covering the component.
Stryker’s Response to the Lawsuits
Although the Stryker hip devices were implanted across the United States, there could be concentrations of these recalled hip devices in larger cities such as Austin. The company stated in their field safety notice that those with diabetes or infection or patients who were overweight were at greater risk of implant failure. The company further stated tapers which were not sufficiently cleaned and locked could generate excess metal debris. Because these cases are so complex, it is imperative you have the best health care as well as a highly qualified Stryker hip attorney by your side throughout the legal process.