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Hip Replacement Patients May Face More Surgery: 17,500 Sulzer Orthopedics Hip Units Recalled
CNN.com
January 17, 2001
Rhonda Silva used to take long walks with her husband. Now she's confined to her Oakland, California, apartment, immobile for ten months with defective hip replacements that cause her "excruciating pain."
The active and athletic 48-year-old public relations executive had her left hip replaced in April, 2000, after being diagnosed with osteoarthritis. But after six weeks of recovery and physical therapy, the hip failed to heal.
The socket portion of the Sulzer Orthopedics implant was determined to have an oily residue that prevented it from adhering to the patient's hipbone.
At least one lawsuit has been filed against Sulzer in connection with the recall and others are expected.
San Francisco attorney Don Arbitblit of Lieff, Cabraser, disputed the company's timeline. "They were receiving reports of loosening of this hip implant device since at least October 1999," he said. However, the company said it did not begin hearing about the defect until much later.