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.

Women At Higher Risk of Hip Replacement Failure

A recent research study shows that women are more prone to hip device failure compared to men. Based on the study that involved over 30,000 hip implant patients, women are 30% more likely to develop hip replacement complications that can lead to hip implant failure compared to the male patients. This study was published on the JAMA Internal Medicine website in February 2013. Moreover, the study was sponsored by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The findings of the research study may not bode well for the thousands of women who have undergone hip replacement. According to statistics, women make up the majority of all implant patients in the United States who undergo hip replacement due to damage caused by bone-related injuries. It is still not known, however, whether the problem discovered by the research study involves all brands of hip replacement devices or not.

One of the experts who participated in the research study is Dr. Art Sedrakyan, a professor of public health at New York City’s Weill Cornell Medical College. According to him, women have higher hip revision rates compared to men regardless of their shape and size. However, he emphasized that there are no reasons for concern despite the new revelation. He says the overall risk still remains low.

Diana Zuckerman, the chief executive of a nonprofit organization known as the National Research Center for Women & Families, wrote an article in response to this research study. In her article, she mentions that additional research studies regarding the subject must be conducted in order to find out exactly why women are more prone to hip failure than men. According to her, further research may “save billions of dollars" and prevent patients from suffering the discomfort and pain of hip revision procedures.

All in all, Dr. Sedrakyan and his team of researchers collected data from 35,140 hip replacement procedures at 46 medical institutions in the Kaiser Permanente health system. Three years after the start of his research study, 2.3% of the female implant patients and 1.9% of the male implant patients had undergone hip revision surgery due to problems, which includes infection, bone fractures, loosening of the implant, and device instability.

Over the past few years, reports of hip implant failure have become more widespread. Based on reports, patients with metal-on-metal hip devices are particularly vulnerable to complications that can lead to implant failure. Many of these patients have suffered severe injuries, such as metallosis, metal toxicity, tissue necrosis, and muscle damage. This has triggered multiple lawsuits against the manufacturers of metal-on-metal hip devices, including DePuy Orthopaedics, Stryker Orthopaedics, and Smith & Nephew. Further information on these hip replacement lawsuits may be located on personal injury law firm sites, including the Rottenstein Law Group's rotlaw.com.

Metal on Metal Hip Implant Patients Warned of Metal Poisoning

Recent findings show that metal-on-metal hip devices are even more dangerous than previously thought. Therefore, British Health regulators are prompted to draw up new guidelines for Britons with metal-on-metal hip devices due to concerns regarding its safety. As of this day, over 30,000 individuals in the United Kingdom are implanted with all-metal hip implants.

Metal-on-metal hip replacement devices were introduced in the United Kingdom in the 1990s. They were originally intended for younger patients with active lifestyles. These hip replacement systems comprise a metal ball and cup that functions as the hip joint. Friction between these components is unavoidable. As a result, tiny metallic ions are released constantly in the blood and tissue of implant patients. In some cases, the accumulation of these metal ions may lead to complications related to metal toxicity. The complications associated with metal-on-metal hip devices include metallosis, tissue necrosis, and cobalt poisoning. Most of them have the potential to destroy muscle and bone. According to some research studies, the metal particles may also put the lungs, heart, and nervous system at risk of being poisoned.

Some of the major manufacturers of metal-on-metal hip replacements systems are DePuy Orthopaedics, Stryker Orthopaedics, and Smith & Nephew. These companies have promoted their all-metal hip replacement systems as 'superior' to traditional hip implants. However, several concerns regarding its safety were raised over the years.

Recent findings show that metal-on-metal hip replacement systems can cause systemic toxicity and other problems. As a matter of fact, the United Kingdom Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has proposed tighter regulations for metal-on-metal hip devices. Moreover, a recent research study shows that a number of hip devices which were bought in 2010 have failure rates of up to 50% within 6 years.

Based on studies, metal-on-metal hip device complications mostly develop in young female patients with small frames. These individuals are advised by medical experts to frequently undergo tests and MRI scans in order to diagnose potential problems.

Due to suffering from hip failures and severe complications, a number of patients have filed lawsuits against the manufacturers of metal-on-metal hip replacement devices. According to reports, Nine law firms in the United Kingdom are preparing compensation claims for over a thousand patients who were injured as a result of the substandard hip devices. More information regarding these hip replacement lawsuits can be found on personal injury law firm websites, including the New York based Rottenstein Law Group's www.rotlaw.com.