Exactech Knee and Ankle Inserts and Liner Recalled

Joint replacement products manufacturer Exactech has recalled their polyethylene inserts for knee and ankle replacements because of possible degradation of the polymer construction. Since 1994 hundreds of thousands of their knee and ankle inserts or liners have been implanted and could be involved in the recalls.

The knee and ankle liners and inserts use the polymer plastic UHMWPE and degradation of the polyethylene may result in shredding, fracture, or other problems and may cause or contribute to failure of the knee or ankle device.

Defective packaging of the polymer plastic devices allowed oxygen exposure which may cause early degradation of the UHMWPE plastic. Products recalled include multiple OPTETRAK and TRULIANT tibial inserts and components, as well as the VANTAGE fixed-bearing liner ankle component.

Joint failure caused by Exactech knee or ankle liners requires joint replacement revision surgery. In some cases, more than one surgery may be required to repair and reconstruct the injured joint.

If your patient or a loved one have experienced joint failure or injury as a result of knee or ankle replacement surgery using an Exactech polyethylene knee or ankle insert or liner, they may be eligible for compensation.

Multiple Hip Replacement Recalls

Multiple hip replacement device manufacturers have become embroiled in hip replacement lawsuits filed by people who have suffered serious complications from their hip replacement devices. Injuries have included metal poisoning, dislocation, loosening, tissue damage, severe pain, implant failure, and revision surgery.

• Exactech has not initiated a recall for their hip replacement that used Connexion GXL hip liner, but they have notified doctors that their patients may have experienced early bone tissue loss and may require revision surgery. The company is phasing out the product and it will no longer be manufactured in the United States.
• Smith & Nephew recalled 4,000 R3 Acetabular Hip Systems in 2012 and 2,000 Modular SMF and Modular Redapt Revision Femoral Hip Systems in 2016. The wear and tear on their metal-on-metal devices led to metallosis and other serious complications. Patients who received these implants have suffered implant dislocation, bone fractures, infection, severe persistent pain, and other serious complications that have required revision surgery.

  A Multidistrict Litigation (MDL) was created in April 2017, combining lawsuits against Smith & Nephew and their hip replacement devices from across the U.S.

• Stryker’s ABG II and Rejuvenate hip replacement implants have had a high rate of failure and have caused unexpected complications due to their metallic components. In July 2012, Stryker voluntarily recalled all of its Rejuvenate and ABG II hip replacements and advised doctors to examine and perform blood work on patients who received the implants.

  More recently, their hip replacements using the Stryker Tritanium Acetabular Shell have also caused problems that have required surgical repair. The shells, which replace a person’s hip socket, can loosen after surgery causing hip and groin pain that can only be corrected with surgery.

  Multiple lawsuits involving Stryker hip implants are currently pending in state and federal court.

• Zimmer Biomet is the largest hip implant manufacturer in the U.S., controlling about 31 percent of the market in 2016. In 2008 Zimmer recalled a metal-on-metal hip implant due to large numbers of reports of device failure. More than 750 lawsuits were filed as a result. The Durom Cup and the Zimmer M/L Taper Hip Prosthesis and Versys Femoral Head are the devices named in the lawsuits. A federal panel combined multiple lawsuits into an MDL in 2018. Some individual lawsuits have been settled, but the multidistrict litigation remains active.

If your patients have experienced complications from knee, ankle, or hip replacement devices listed here, they may be eligible for compensation.