Stryker Hip Lawsuit Filed Over Recalled Rejuvenate Stem

An Arkansas woman has filed a product liability lawsuit after experiencing problems with a recalled Stryker Rejuvenate hip replacement, which was removed from the market in July after it was associated with an increased risk of early failure. 

The complaint (PDF) was filed by Tracy Sponer in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas on November 7, against Howmedica Osteonics Corporation, which does business as Stryker Orthopaedics.

Sponer indicates that she received a Stryker Rejuvenate hip replacement on September 6, 2011, and the artificial hip failed one year later, requiring her to undergo hip revision surgery on September 18, 2012.

Howmedica introduced the Stryker Rejuvenate Modular Hip System in February 2009, featuring a modular femoral neck-stem. Unlike traditional hip replacement systems, which involve a single femoral component, the Stryker modular hip system features a two-part neck and stem design, which allows the surgeon to customize the length to match the patient.

Although the hip replacements are expected to last 15 to 20 years, a Stryker hip recall was issued in July 2012, for the Rejuvenate and ABG II neck stems. The manufacturer acknowledged that the design appears to increase the risk of fretting and corrosion at the modular neck junction, which may increase the risk of pain, swelling and failure of the artificial hip replacement.

As a result of problems with the Stryker Rejuvenate hip, Sponer alleges that she suffered and continues to suffer injuries and damages. She is seeking damages for past, present and future physical and mental pain and suffering, medical expenses and other damages.

The case is one of about a dozen Stryker hip lawsuits filed over the Rejuvenate stem in courts throughout the country. All of the complaints involve similar allegations that the modular hip design was not adequately researched or tested, and that Howmedica failed to provide warnings about the risk of problems with the Stryker hip system.

Last month, a group of plaintiffs who have brought their lawsuits in New Jersey state court filed a request to centralize the Stryker Rejuvenate hip litigation as part of a “mass tort” or “multi-county litigation,” which would result in all cases pending throughout the state being assigned to one judge for coordinated handling. There are currently at least 10 Stryker hip lawsuits over the recalled Rejuvenate and ABG II components pending in New Jersey state court, and lawyers expect a large number of cases to be brought in the state, as that is where Howmedica’s Stryker headquarters are based.