Stryker Hip Lawsuit
The fifth settlement in the Stryker hip lawsuit was reached in February 2014 in New Jersey. It follows the settlement of four hip replacement cases against Stryker in December 2013. The Stryker hip lawsuit has pending cases in numerous states, including Alabama.
The trouble for the Michigan-based company that escalated into the Stryker hip lawsuit began in 2012. That was less than three years after Stryker Orthopeadics announced its artificial hip implants, the Rejuvenate and the ABG II. Called superior to and different from earlier hip replacements, this one replaced the usual “ball and socket” bone in the natural human hip. These implants were said to be easily adaptable to the user because the surgeon is able to make a more personalized fit.
The Stryker announcement was received as welcome news to many people, since about 200,000 Americans in Alabama and throughout the country need hip replacement surgery every year. It is often recommended for the elderly for whom walking or just standing up may become a problem. Increasingly, it is a solution for younger active people who suffer from sports accidents. With hip surgery, the injured or diseased hipbone areas are removed and replaced with artificial parts that fit much like the original.
In July 2012, Stryker voluntarily recalled its Rejuvenate and ABG II models due to ongoing reports of fretting, loosening, and/or corrosion in the neck joint, all of which required surgery for removal and replacement. Although the Stryker models do not have a ball and socket metal-on-metal design, they do have a metal neckpiece that under certain conditions is said to move against a metal stem, which frees metallic debris. As the Stryker hip lawsuit claims, when these tiny shavings are absorbed into the body, inflammation and pain result and eventually metallosis, or metal poisoning, can result, in addition to bone dissolution and damage to issue surrounding the implant.
Since the 2012 announcement, an increasing number of lawsuits have followed. The Stryker recall is not the first problem with such devices. Johnson & Johnson recalled two metal hip replacement systems in 2010. Metal poisoning, similar to the Stryker recall, was cited as the problem.
Do You Live in Alabama and Believe You Have a Claim? Contact Us
If you or a loved one has received a Stryker hip replacement system and suffered serious injury or illness possibly due to the implant, or have had to receive a revision surgery due to hip replacement complications, contact Attorney Group for Alabama for a free consultation to discuss a Stryker hip lawsuit. We can help answer questions for those in Alabama who are having hip replacement problems and may be considering a Stryker hip lawsuit. Attorney Group for Alabama can help you to decide if you have a claim for a Stryker hip lawsuit, and if compensation may be a possibility for you. Call us and let Attorney Group for Alabama help you seek compensation.
