Dallas Fort Worth Injury Lawyer Blog
As a Stryker Rejuvenate and ABG defective metal on metal product liability attorney, I am providing this litigation update. Stryker Orthopaedics is facing additional product liability lawsuits over the recalled Stryker Rejuvenate hip stem.
New Jersey State Claims
The new complaints were filed in New Jersey Superior Court, claiming that each of the plaintiffs received a Stryker Rejuvenate hip replacement, involving a modular femoral neck stem designed to allow the surgeon to customize the length of the component.
The lawsuits allege that design defects caused the hip replacements to loosen and move out of position, requiring the plaintiffs to undergo revision surgery.
Whats the Problem with Stryker Rejuvenate?
The Stryker Rejuvenate consists of a metal neck that fits inside of a metal stem to allow the implant to be customized for certain aspects of a patient’s anatomy and hip biomechanics.
In July 2012, a Stryker Rejuvenate recall was issued for the modular-neck hip stem components, due to a risk of corrosion at the modular neck junction. The design has been associated with metallosis problems where metal debris may be released into the body as the metal parts grind against each other, leading to hip pain, swelling, local tissue reactions and early failure of the entire hip replacement.
Stryker Rejuvenate Lawsuits
The lawsuits allege that the company is liable for negligent design and manufacturing of the Stryker Rejuvenate system. Stryker has confirmed that the modular neck stem suffered from loosening, corrosion and fretting, similar to problems seen with metal-on-metal hip replacement systems.
The plaintiffs claim that they sufered with pseudotumors, tissue necrosis, muscle loss, and bone loss around the implants when they were removed, which are signs of metal poisoning or metallosis.