Sulzer Hip Implants

On 12/8/00, Sulzer Orthopaedics announced a recall of certain manufacturing lots of its inter-op hip shells. According to Sulzer, roughly 17,500 hip shells from the recalled lots have been implanted in patients. An acetabular shell is a hip implant part implanted into the upper part of the hip called the acetabulum. Usually, the bone would form an integrated bond with the shell. However, the recalled shells may have a trace of lubricant residue on the surface that was not completely removed when they were manufactured. The presence of this lubricant may prevent the bone from bonding with the shell, causing the shell to loosen, resulting in painful, physical symptoms.

Some of the symptoms include severe groin pain and inability to bear weight on the affected leg. Other symptoms may include severe pain in the inner thigh, pain in the buttocks, pain when rising from a seated position, and pain when standing and walking.

Patients who are experiencing any of these symptoms are encouraged to contact their physician. In order to determine if you have received a recalled hip shell, your surgeon can recover the specific lot number used in your hip replacement surgery from your medical records.

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