Stryker Rejuvenate Hip Patients – Why am I in Pain and What are my Options?

Patients who have received a Stryker Rejuvenate hip implant system may be unaware of the July 2012 recall, or may believe that since the Rejuvenate differs in design from the metal-on-metal hip implants we’ve heard so much about that they are relatively safe from harm. Even if those patients are experiencing significant levels of pain, they may believe that pain stems from the aging process or other physical ailments rather than from the Rejuvenate.

After all, the Rejuvenate incorporates a ceramic ball rather than a metal ball, so the belief is there is little danger of cobalt and chromium ions being released into the body. This can be a dangerous belief. Stryker stated that they were recalling the Rejuvenate because of the potential for the neck juncture to suffer fretting or corrosion, leading in turn to shearing of metal ions which could lodge in surrounding hip tissues. In addition to the potential corrosion problem at the neck juncture, the Rejuvenate incorporates metal “trundles” one either end of the neck portion which allows the neck to snap into the stem on one end and the ball on the other. When body fluids accumulate under these trundles, corrosion can occur. Although the surface area is certainly much less than the all-metal hip implants, meaning fewer metal ions will shear away into the tissues or bloodstream, even these smaller levels of cobalt and chromium can lead to significant levels of pain and other health issues.

Doctors who are unaware of the different design of the Rejuvenate may dismiss their patient’s complaints of pain, or, in some cases, may open the patient up, see no corrosion at the ball and acetabular cup and either replace one of the ball or cup components or sew the patient back up and send them home. Even at this point, many doctors are unaware of the potential of corrosion at the trundle locations which can lead to pain, inflammation and necrosis. The Rejuvenate patient who suffers chronic pain will likely have little recourse other than to have the Rejuvenate implant removed during a revision surgery.

Unfortunately, revision surgery for the Rejuvenate is considerably more risky than revision surgery for the metal-on-metal implants. Unlike the DePuy Pinnacle revision surgery which is relatively minor and requires replacement of the liner or the ASR revision surgery which is more complex, but only requires replacement of the acetabular cup, the Rejuvenate is completely different. Because the metal trundles are located between the neck and the stem and the neck and the ball, the entire Rejuvenate hip implant must be removed. During the original hip replacement the surgeon would have implanted the stem of the Rejuvenate deep into the femur, and during revision this stem will have to be dug away from the bone which has grown around it. Some of these procedures result in shattered femur bones and a lifetime of problems and pain.

Even the Rejuvenate surgeries which go “well,” can take four to five hours, and the recovery time is considerably longer than the original hip replacement—as long as six weeks or more. The statute of limitations in your state may be anywhere from one to three years, and should you miss that window of opportunity you could find yourself in precarious medical and financial shape. You could be barred forever from recovery even if you are required to have revision surgery resulting from a defective, recalled product.