La Salle Woman Files Stryker Lawsuit over Leaked Alloys

A woman from La Salle County, Illinois has recently filed a case against the manufacturer of the metal-on-metal hip replacement device implanted in her. According to her lawsuit, the hip device seeped alloys into her system, causing her to experience severe pain that lasted a long time. Her lawsuit was filed in St. Clair County Circuit Court on February 8, 2013, a year after she had hip replacement.

The plaintiff, Patricia Anderson, said that she was implanted with the faulty hip replacement system on February 9, 2011 at St. Margaret’s Hospital located in Spring Valley, Illinois. The orthopedic surgeon who performed her hip replacement surgery was Dr. Paul Perona. Moreover, the hip device used in the procedure was the Rejuvenate modular hip replacement system.

The Rejuvenate modular hip replacement device was manufactured by Stryker Orthopaedics, one of the largest manufacturers of hip prosthesis. It differs from traditional hip implants in terms of composition. Components of the Rejuvenate modular hip device are all made up of metal, whereas traditional hip devices include components that are made of either plastic or ceramic. Moreover, unlike traditional hip replacement devices, the Rejuvenate modular hip is made up of only two basic components, a cobalt chromium modular neck and a femoral stem made of titanium. This device was designed to offer orthopedic surgeons the option to custom-fit implant patients according to their bone structure. This way, patients will have a better range of motion. In addition, Stryker claims that the Rejuvenate modular hip replacement device is a sturdier version of traditional hip implants, able to last more than ten years.

Anderson, the plaintiff of the aforementioned lawsuit, claims that Stryker has failed to disclose defects associated with the materials used in the company’s Rejuvenate modular hip system. Based on her lawsuit, the material combination of the Stryker hip device can cause corrosion, which in turn can lead to hip implant failure. She cited studies from the 1980s, stating that the metal alloys used to make the hip device, namely titanium and cobalt-chrome, are the roots of all problems linked to the Rejuvenate modular hip.

Stryker never acknowledged the issues surrounding the Rejuvenate modular hip device until April 2012, when the company finally released an Urgent Field Safety Notice stating that it had received reports of implant failure as a result of metal poisoning. The company issued a recall on July 06, 2012.

Following the recall, Stryker hip lawsuits started to pile up. Apparently, many individuals were affected by complications related to the Rejuvenate modular hip replacement system. These individuals are hoping to acquire compensation for all the damages they have suffered. Stryker hip replacement lawsuit information and updates can be found on the websites of personal injury attorneys, including the Rottenstein Law Group’s rotlaw.com.

Stryker Pays Medical Expenses Of Injured Implant Patients

Stryker Orthopaedics pays for the hip revision surgery and other medical bills of patients who were implanted with the company's Rejuvenate and ABG II hip replacement systems. The said hip devices were recalled in 2012 due to problems with the modular neck of the implants. According to reports, the modular neck of the hip devices may corrode and thereby release tiny metal particles that can accumulate in the blood and tissue of patients.

According to Stryker's promotional materials, the Rejuvenate and ABG II hip replacement systems are immune to corrosion and fretting. Therefore, doctors were confident that nothing could go wrong. Unfortunately, recent reports say that a large number of patients have suffered complications associated with the hip replacement devices. Many of these injured individuals have filed Strykerhip lawsuits, claiming that the devices has design defects which caused the problems. To know more about the cases against Stryker Orthopaedics, injured patients can look for information on the websites of personal injury law firms, such as the Rottenstein Law Group's www.rotlaw.com.

The Complications Associated with Stryker's Rejuvenate and ABG II Hip Replacement Systems

Based on several reports, implant patients with the Rejuvenate and ABG II hip replacement devices have developed severe complications after their hip replacement surgery. These complications include inflammation, severe pain, limited motion, fluid buildup, bone damage, and tissue necrosis. Moreover, some of these complications may lead to hip revision surgery.

The Rejuvenate and ABG II hip devices are metal-on-metal hip systems. Such hip devices have recently caught the attention of health regulators and the medical community. According to reports, metal-on-metal hip replacement systems have caused problems related to metal toxicity. To be precise, when the metal components of the hip devices scrape against each other, potentially harmful metallic ions are released in the blood of patients. These metal ions may have systemic effects on the nervous system or other parts of the body.

Stryker Pays for Medical Expenses of Injured Patients

Patients implanted with the faulty hip devices have spent a lot money on medical expenses and, in some cases, hip revision surgery. Moreover, reports say that some of these patients could not afford hip revision surgery, which is very expensive. Thus, due to lack of financial resources, these individuals have endured pain for a long time.

As a course of action, Stryker Orthopaedics contacted and formed a contract with an insurance company known as Broadspire. The insurance firm was tasked to pay for the medical expenses of injured implant patients with the Rejuvenate and ABG II hip replacement systems. Expenses covered by the firm include blood tests and hip revision surgery. Incidentally, Broadspire is the same insurance firm that is financing out of pocket expenses of the implant patients with the DePuy ASR hip replacement system that was recalled in 2010.