The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality reports that surgeons in the United States perform more than 450,000 hip replacements every year. Patients who begin to experience hip pain that affects their everyday life can benefit from hip replacement surgery. Still, there is a certain level of risk that comes with hip replacement surgery. Recently, the medical device company Exactech had to issue a recall of hip replacement medical devices.
What was the hip replacement device that was recalled in 2021?
The recalled hip replacement device was an acetabular polyethylene hip liner. This device is attached to particular hip implant systems, and is used to assist the replacement device in treating hip conditions. Patients with particular conditions like a hip fracture, osteonecrosis, and arthritis use hip replacement devices.
How does a hip replacement device benefit a patient with damaged or weakened hips?
A hip replacement serves as a replacement for the damaged bone and cartilage in a patient’s body. The surgery involves removing the damaged bones and replacing them with prosthetic devices. The acetabular liner is placed between the ball of the hip while a cup is placed that serves as a socket. The liner is used to produce a smooth gliding surface.
How did the acetabular liner cause a hip replacement device to become defective?
From 2009 to 2019, orthopedic surgeons from the Department of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation at the University of Florida College of Medicine conducted a study that investigated the potential of early device failure in the Exactech Connexion GXL liners.
The surgeons collected and reviewed patient data from patients who had corrective surgery after the Exactech Connexion GXL acetabular liners were installed. The study revealed that corrective surgery was recommended to patients after X-ray examinations revealed radiographic osteolysis around the liners. The osteolysis around the liners was an indication of bone loss and damage around the hip socket.
The design defect of the acetabular liners caused the hip replacement devices to deteriorate from polyethylene wear and tear. This wear and tear has influenced hip replacement devices to break down from early device failure. When hip replacement devices fail to operate properly, patients can experience excruciating pain.
What are some of the signs of a defective hip replacement system?
Patients that can potentially suffer from a defective hip replacement device experience symptoms like a loosening of the joint, infection, frequent hip dislocations, a metal allergy, and a hip fracture. The wear and tear of a hip replacement device can increase the likelihood of a patient’s hip loosening.
Patients who experience a loosening of the hip can experience swelling, an inability to place weight on the hip, a clicking or popping sound, and a full hip dislocation. In some dangerous cases, bacteria can grow around the prosthetic devices, leading to an infection. Some signs of an infection include redness, pain, drainage, or wounds that have difficulty healing.
How can patients have the defective hip replacement devices removed from their bodies?
Some physicians will recommend that patients suffering from defective hip replacement devices undergo corrective surgery. During corrective surgery, the surgeon will either replace the parts of the joint from the original surgery or remove the defective prosthetic device and replace it with a new one.
Contact Kwartler Manus, LLC Today
No one should have to live with a defective hip replacement device for the rest of their life. Let us help you hold your medical professionals accountable. Our Philadelphia attorneys will review your case, build an aggressive strategy, and fight for your patient rights. We aim to do our part in helping you recover, and will work to obtain the compensation you deserve. Call our Philadelphia cosmetic injury lawyers at (267) 457-5570 or fill out our contact form to discuss your case today.