Stryker Hip Replacement

Stryker Corporation is an international medical technologies firm based in Michigan. Their products include implants used for joint replacement surgeries, surgical equipment, endoscopic and communications systems, emergency medical equipment, neurosurgical and spinal devices and other medical products. Most of Stryker’s products are sold directly to doctors, hospitals and other healthcare facilities. Although the company has been in the medical business for more than 50 years, recently Stryker has had several problems with some if its products.

In 2007, Stryker received warning letters from the Food & Drug Administration citing problems with quality and noncompliance. Some of the letters warned of poor fixation of hip implant components, some of which required mitigation by corrective surgeries. Other issues involved falsification of documents regarding the sale of products to hospitals that were supposed to be sold under a limited, government-mandated basis. Stryker has maintained that the employees involved in the falsification of documents have all been terminated.

Some of Stryker’s more recent woes involve its hip replacement systems. In 2012 the FDA announced that the company voluntarily recalled its Rejuvenate and ABG II modular-neck hip replacement systems. Stryker said in a press release that the recall was initiated because of potential risks with the systems, including mechanically assisted corrosion and the release of metal ions of Cobalt and Chromium that affect tissue and bone over time. The system had a high early failure rate, which resulted in revision surgeries for patients.

From 2009 to 2012, Stryker performed 20,000 hip-replacement procedures, with a 60% failure rate in Broward County alone. Some serious known health complications associated with the Rejuvenate and ABG II systems include:

• Blood toxicity from metal debris (Cobalt and Chromium)
• Misalignment and loosening of components
• Amplified pain
• Hip arthroplasty pseudotumors (soft-tissue masses)
• Metallosis (metal poisoning)
• Tissue and bone necrosis (damage caused by loss of blood)

Unfortunately for patients who have suffered these complications, the best treatment is often a complicated revision surgery, which involves removing the entire femoral stem and replacing it with another, larger metal stem. Because of the positioning of the stem (placed down the center of the femur bone) removal can be quite traumatic and often results in fractures to the femur itself, in which case more metal materials must be used to repair the damage. Most patients who undergo this restorative surgery will undergo a complicated and prolonged recovery process, with a high potential for permanent loss of their hip function.

Stryker joins Johnson & Johnson, Biomet and several other makers of medical devices, who are facing lawsuits regarding defective metal-on-metal hip implants. Currently, hundreds of lawsuits are pending over Stryker’s recalled products.

Individuals participating in the hip replacement lawsuits claim:

• The manufacturer knew the product was more dangerous than other available hip implants because of a high need for additional restorative surgeries.
• The manufacturer failed to properly test the devices.
• The manufacturer marketed the product without highlighting the risks.
• The systems released Cobalt and Chromium into patients’ bodies, leading to metal poisoning.
• The device can corrode, causing severe deterioration.
• The systems contain defects that can cause permanent damage to patients.

All of these hip replacement lawsuits have been transferred to one court, before a single judge, as part of a multidistrict litigation, which helps to expedite the litigation and allows for more consistent rulings.

If you or a loved one has received an implant subject to the Stryker hip recall, you may be able to file a lawsuit against the manufacturer. Our experienced Florida attorneys can help you receive compensation for past and future medical expenses, pain and suffering, lost wages and other financial damages. The lawyers at Friedman Rodman Frank & Estrada, P.A. are currently investigating potential lawsuits involving Stryker and their recalled products, most notably the Rejuvenate and ABG II systems. We’d be honored to assist you file a claim so you can receive maximum compensation. Please be aware that there are time limits for filing this type of claim, so don’t hesitate to contact us online or call us 305-448-8585.