If You Have a Stryker Rejuvenate Recalled Hip But No Pain, What Should You Do?

There is considerable concern among recipients of the Rejuvenate hip implant as well as doctors and orthopedic surgeons who are finding out that the Rejuvenate comes with its own, very specific, set of potential risks. The Rejuvenate is constructed much differently than the original metal-on-metal hip implants before it, therefore doctors may as yet be unaware of the particular issues they should be looking for in their patients.

The all-metal implants are constructed of a metal ball and a metal acetabular cup; during periods of activity these metal components rub against one another, causing tiny metal ions to shear away and become lodged in surrounding tissues or enter the bloodstream. When the ions imbed themselves into the hip tissue, necrosis can occur and pain is likely.

The Rejuvenate, however, is constructed of a ceramic ball, therefore it was originally believed there would be none of these metal toxicity issues. When Stryker recalled the Rejuvenate in July of 2012, they stated the potential risk of fretting and corrosion at the neck juncture which in turn could lead to metal ions being released into the body. Additionally, it was later found that the metal trundles located on either end of the neck piece could allow body fluids to become trapped underneath, leading to corrosion and potential ion release. In the case of the all-metal DePuy ASR or Pinnacle hip implants, should metal toxicity and pain occur, the surgeon will go in and either remove and replace the liner in the case of the Pinnacle or remove the acetabular cup in the case of the ASR. While neither of these surgeries is considered minor, they offer many fewer potential dangers to the patient.

When the Rejuvenate must be removed, the stem, implanted deeply into the femoral bone, must literally be dug out of the bone. In some cases the femur can shatter into pieces, necessitating a total rebuilding of the bone—when that is even possible. Because the trundles are not in the same location as the ball and cup, and because there is much less metal surface to corrode, the patient may have no significant levels of pain and a blood test for cobalt and chromium may reveal relatively low levels. Don’t let yourself be lulled by results such as these. Once cobalt and chromium shards have lodged in your hip tissue, tissue destruction will begin. This necrosis will never get better, will never reverse, but will likely only continue to worsen. When the cobalt and chromium enters your blood stream, even though you may not feel bad at the moment, again, the results are irreversible and will never improve.

What this means to the recipient of the Stryker Rejuvenate is that whether you are currently experiencing pain or other negative symptoms from the Rejuvenate you must nonetheless take immediate action. The statute of limitations is between one and three years for product liability cases—two years in most states. That SOL runs from the time of the recall—July, 2012 in this case—which means that those who neglect to bring suit against Stryker in a timely manner may end up forever barred from doing so. Even later, when problems arise or a revision surgery becomes necessary, it could be too late to get any help for the damages to your body or the expenses involved in revision surgery. Don’t lose your window of opportunity; even if you are currently experiencing pain from your Stryker Rejuvenate it is extremely important that you seek help.