“I have questions for my surgeon, Stryker and hip replacement attorneys,” says Sam. At this point, he isn’t even convinced that a revision surgery will help, although it couldn’t get much worse than what he has been going through these past five years.“This is not a ‘voluntary’ revision for me because I don’t see that I have much choice,” Sam explains. “My entire life has been dramatically changed since this hip replacement failure, and the potential adverse reactions from another hip surgery appear to be very high. Believe me, I am not looking forward to the pain from another surgery and another round of rehabilitation.
“As for my surgeon wanting to put in another Stryker device, I don’t know where to turn. My insurance company certainly can’t advise me and my surgeon seems biased. I wonder if any other Stryker hip recipients have found themselves in this dilemma. Since Stryker appears willing to cover expenses and I have a claim number with them, do I have any recourse?”
Sam’s surgeon thinks that remaining with Stryker may result in a better settlement in less time. “Who knows at this juncture - am waiting to hear back from my attorney. If anyone can give me an answer, it should be him.”
Sam had a Stryker Rejuvenate hip implant in 2009 and has been in pain ever since, sometimes severe pain depending upon his level of activity. To make matters worse, he received a letter from his orthopedic surgeon last year advising him to get blood tests for Stryker orthopedics metallosis: reports from other recipients indicated his Stryker hip was the kind that was experiencing fretting. (Stryker has warned that the Rejuvenate metal components may fret and corrode at the modular-neck junction, and possibly generate excessive amounts of metallic debris.)
The blood tests showed his cobalt level was high but “within limits.” Still, it gave Sam cause for concern. He had X-rays but they proved inconclusive. (Sam cannot have an MRI because he has a pacemaker.)
“Additional blood tests in May resulted in a cobalt level many times higher than the acceptable range,” says Sam. “It was back to my surgeon. Now I am scheduled for a hip revision surgery in November. Needless to say, I am seeking compensation from Stryker.”
Stryker Rejuvenate Lawsuit Update
As of August 2013, more than 300 Stryker hip replacement lawsuits were pending in a consolidated litigation underway in New Jersey Superior Court, Bergen County, according to court documents (In re Stryker Rejuvenate Hip Stem and the ABG II Modular Hip Stem Litigation, No. 296). As well, another 200 Stryker hip replacement recall lawsuits are pending in a federal multidistrict litigation underway in US District Court, District of Minnesota (In Re: Stryker Rejuvenate and ABG II Hip Implant Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2441). All lawsuits have similar complaints: plaintiffs have suffered metallosis, necrosis, osteolysis and other serious complications, which have led many patients to revision surgery. It is not known, however, how many (if any) patients with Stryker hips had another Stryker implanted in revision surgery.
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John H Walter
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