Dr. Robert Zann, an orthopedic surgeon of Boynton Beach, Fla., has reported removing nearly one in five of Stryker Rejuvenate and ABGII hip replacement systems over the last two years according to NewsInferno. Since 2011, he has removed 100 of the 400 hip devices he has implanted and reports that he expects nearly 100 more.
On July 6, 2012, Stryker issued a recall of its Rejuvenate and ABGII hip replacement systems. These dangerous products are prone to corrosion, joint dislocation, and the release of metal ions in which case can cause metallosis, tissue inflammation, necrosis, and death. Dr. Zann reported “blood contamination and fluid-filled, painful masses in the area of the joint device in his patients.” The faultiness of these hip replacement systems is rooted in what is essentially “quick fixes” to meet the demands of surgeons.
”When these products first come out, the idea is that these surgeons have this wish list that they would like, to try to make these surgeries easier,” During an interview with Ring of Fire, Daniel Nigh, an attorney with Levin, Papantonio, Thomas, Mitchell, Rafferty, & Proctor, P.A., indicated. “For these Stryker Rejuvenates, surgeons said that they would like to have a more modular stem. And what the companies then do is they come up with these quick fixes without engineering or testing the fixes to see how they actually work inside of a patient.”
On March 12, Reuters reported that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued Stryker Orthopedics a warning letter regarding quality concerns on another line of products. The letter also indicated that Stryker was marketing and selling some of its products “without required approval.”
Not only did Stryker recall its hip replacement systems, in June of 2012 it also placed a recall on its Neptune surgical waste removal systems of which one patient died as a result. On Sept. 18, the recall was extended “because the Food and Drug Administration had advised the company that the devices don’t have regulatory clearance.”
The patients suffering from ailments caused by these feebly-made products are no doubt indicative of Stryker’s utter negligence as they have their put profits before patients’ safety.
Joshua de Leon is a writer and researcher with Ring of Fire.
