NEW YORK, April 14, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- As the Stryker hip recall (http://www.strykerhiprecallclaims.com/ ) litigation continues to move forward, Bernstein Liebhard LLP notes the publication of a new study that appears to confirm allegations put forth in Stryker hip lawsuits involving Rejuvenate Modular Neck Hip Stems. The research, which appeared in the March 19, 2014, issue of the Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery, looked at 104 patients who had 123 Rejuvenate hips implanted by a single surgeon at Houston Methodist Hospital in Texas. Ninety-seven of the hip replacements involved modular devices like those named in the Stryker hip recall, while 26 involved non-modular models.
The patients were followed for an average of 2.7 years. Among other things, the study authors noted that 48% of the total hip replacements in the modular group resulted in elevated metal ion levels, while levels among the patients who received non-modular hips remained normal. Pain and high levels of cobalt ions in the blood were a significant predictor of revision surgery among the modular group. Finally, the rate of revision among patients who received modular Rejuvenate hips was 28%, with the majority of the revisions performed in the second year after the initial hip surgery.
"The complications observed in the patients who received modular Rejuvenate hips echo what we have seen with our own Stryker hip lawsuit clients," says Bernstein Liebhard LLP, a nationwide law firm representing the victims of defective drugs and medical devices. The Firm continues to offer free legal evaluations to individuals who allegedly suffered serious complications related to the Stryker hip recall for Rejuvenate and ABG II Modular Neck Hip Stems.
Stryker Hip Recall
The Stryker hip recall for Rejuvenate and ABG II hip stems was announced in July 2012, and affected some 20,000 components that were sold worldwide. The recall was issued after the metal hip components were found to be subject to a high rate of fretting and corrosion at the modular-neck junction. Stryker has advised all affected patients to undergo medical screening, including blood tests for elevated metal ion levels and cross-sectional imaging, even if they are not experiencing any symptoms that might indicate their Stryker hip is not performing as intended. According to the company, fretting and corrosion of the components can cause adverse local tissue reactions, pain, swelling, and other complications that might require surgery to remove and replace the hip.
According to court documents, more than 950 Stryker hip lawsuits have been filed in a multicounty litigation underway in New Jersey's Bergen County Superior Court by individuals who were allegedly injured by recalled Rejuvenate and ABG II hip stems. (In Re Stryker Rejuvenate Hip Stem and the ABG II Modular Hip Stem Litigation, No. 296) An additional 600 claims are also pending in a federal multidistrict litigation underway in U.S. District Court, District of Minnesota. (In re: Stryker Rejuvenate and ABG II Hip Implant Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2441)
All of the complaints filed in these proceedings similarly allege that fretting and corrosion of the Rejuvenate and ABG II hip stems caused plaintiffs to suffer serious complications, including metallosis, adverse local tissue reactions, necrosis, and failure of the hip, often resulting in the need for revision surgery.
Stryker Rejuvenate and ABG II hip recipients who allegedly suffered complications related to this recall may be eligible to file a Stryker hip lawsuit to obtain compensation for any injury-related damages they sustained. To learn more about the litigation surrounding the Stryker hip recall, please visit Bernstein Liebhard LLP's website. To arrange for a free case review, please call (888) 340-4807.
About Bernstein Liebhard LLP
Bernstein Liebhard LLP is a New York-based law firm exclusively representing injured persons in complex individual and class action lawsuits nationwide since 1993, including those who have been harmed by dangerous drugs, defective medical devices and consumer products. The firm has been named by The National Law Journal to the Plaintiffs' Hot List, recognizing the top plaintiffs firms in the country, for the past 12 consecutive years. Bernstein Liebhard LLP is the only firm in the country to be named to this prestigious list every year since the list was first published in 2003.
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