Stryker Corporation, a competitor of fellow defective hip implant manufacturer DePuy, recalled its Rejuvenate and ABG II hip implants in July of 2012. Both the Stryker Rejuvenate and ABG II models have defective metal neck-and-stem components. Because the Stryker hip recall came more than a year and a half after DePuy’s, it did not receive as much attention from the media. But make no mistake, the defective Stryker hips are capable of causing the same debilitating injuries as the DePuy hip implants. And in fact, a revision of a defective recalled Stryker implant is much more invasive as it requires removal of the neck and stem.
If you have any questions about your hip implant or have concern that your implant has failed or caused you injury, contact attorney Marilyn McGoldrick at 1-888-341-1405.
The injuries resulting from these defective metal hip implants include, but are not limited to:
- Pain or swelling at or near the hip,
- Inflammation,
- Infection,
- Tissue death
- Tumors,
- Change in walking ability,
- Uneven leg length,
- Clicking, popping, or cracking noises or sounds from the hip joint,
- Grinding sensation and stiffness from the hip joint,
- Fracture and dislocation,
- Metallosis (because of concerns that these metal hip implants may have released metal fragments and ions into your system after implantation, Stryker itself is recommending that recipients of the Rejuvenate and ABG II hips systems undergo blood testing to check for the presence of metal.)
The FDA lists a variety of symptoms that should be followed up. If you are experiencing any symptom you believe may be related to your hip implant, you should see your doctor and ask if it might be wise to have a blood test for the presence of metal fragments and chromium or cobalt ions in the hip joints and surrounding tissue.
The Stryker Rejuvenate and ABG II Modular Neck hip implants were submitted for approval to the FDA using the controversial 501(k) process. Under 501(k), Stryker vouched to the FDA that the implants were “substantially equivalent” to older devices that had undergone the full FDA clearance process. As a result, these new metal on metal hip implants never underwent rigorous clinical trials before being sold to consumers. The Rejuvenate Modular system was approved by the FDA in June of 2008; the ABG II was approved in November of 2009. Both were subject to the July 2012 recall.
Thornton Law Firm is actively litigating cases against Stryker for its defective Rejuvenate and ABG II hip implants throughout Massachusetts and around the country.
On June 12, 2013, the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPMDL) transferred more than 39 Stryker Rejuvenate and ABG II defective hip cases to the U.S. District Court of Minnesota. The MDL was approved to allow for coordination of pretrial discovery and to preserve judicial resources. The transferred cases, and any future Stryker Rejuvenate and ABG II hip lawsuits filed in federal court, are assigned to Judge Donovan W. Frank in Minnesota Federal Court (In Re: Stryker Rejuvenate and ABG II Hip Implant Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2441). Common issues such as design defect and the safety and effectiveness of the Stryker Rejuvenate and ABG II hip systems will be the focus of pre-trial discovery. The Stryker MDL was approved in order to prevent inconsistent rulings from multiple judges assigned to cases filed all over the country and to preserve the resources of the courts and the plaintiffs involved in these lawsuits.
If you have any questions about your hip implant or have concern that your implant has failed or caused you injury, contact attorney Marilyn McGoldrick at 1-888-341-1405. Tell us your story HERE.
