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.
