Tags
Hip Replacement, hip resurfacing, Magnetic resonance imaging, Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, metal, Nephew, Nephew Smith, Smith
Update from Alison
Hi Earl I have just been to my hospital for an x ray as they have told me that they are recalling all their birmingham hip patients to test chromium and cobalt levels in the blood. I am still waiting for my results. I had my BHR Smith& Nephew fitted in November 2007 and have been doing some research and have found that S&N have recalled some patients and they have recalled certain acetabular cups and sent out this following letter to the hospitals:
Dear Customer,
Smith & Nephew have been informed that the above devices may have been miss – labelled. The product packaging for the notified complaint was for a 54 mm BHR Acetabular Cup, however inside was a 50mm Acetabular Cup. One more device has also been positively identified as being the reverse of this.
An evaluation has been performed in -house and has determined that the devices are likely to cause a risk of adverse health consequences to the patient through the necessity for revision surgery. Due to the mismatch in size of the Femora l and Acetabular devices this may lead to elevated metal ion levels and or metallosis. Smith & Nephew are therefore recalling the above mentioned pro ducts to physically verify their status.
A number of the devices in the table below have been identified as being implanted. Smith & Nephew have contacted all of the surgeons and Hospitals which are affected by this recall. This will enable Smith & Nephew and the surgeons involved to review the patient X- rays and verify the status of the se devices.
The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency have been informed of this recall.
This is particularly alarming as this letter was dated June 2007 yet my hip resurfacing was performed in November 2007 and yes I was fitted with a 74120150 faulty labeled acetabular cup. I am now looking at having a revision and do not even know the best thing to replace it with. Also I am actively still playing netball and have been told if you have a full hip replacement they are normally only expected to last about 10-12 years and if you continue to do sport it can reduce the longevity of your hip replacement by many years and that you can only have a maximum of two revisions not that I can face having even one.
I am really fed up and want to also know how I find out if there are any class actions already against Smith & Nephew?
Alison (age 50) from the UK
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Hi Alison
Can I ask which hospital recalled all their Smith and Nephew please? Do you have a copy of the letter? Hospitals have the right to do their own recall to check patients, this is seperate to a formal joint registry recall. At present there is no group action but we are working on it. See the post from Christian from Goodmans Law. I am talking to him at present. He is looking into a claim for myself, in my opinion it would be useful if we all used same, that way when we prove grounds for group action they have all the info to go fulll steam ahead.
My email is tabather@talktalk.net pllease feel free to email me anytime
Tracey
Hi Alison – I would be interested to hear which hospital as I have a 54mm cup.
Also interested to hear of anyone who knows of a class action.
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There is no need to fear. If a 50mm cup was implanted with a 54heads mm shell you wouldnt be walking. The head wouldnt fit into the cup and your hip would be dislocated. Look up a bhr surgical technique and look at the pictures and you will see what I mean.
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Yes — I have a Smith and Nephew 58mm acetabular shell and a 52mm modular head that was yanked from my body earlier this year sitting on my desk, so Tom is correct in stating there is ‘nothing to fear’ in that regard — and in your case that regard only. While it seems it would be impossible to put a larger modular head into a smaller cup, there was this news not too long ago:
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aFcv3Q2Be7O0
And from our favorite company:
http://global.smith-nephew.com/master/news_recall_185implants_17737.htm
This is all all new ground for all of us, and I knew little of it before I started my “Introduction to Hips 101” with Dr. Stevens back in January. Seriously, if you stick around this site you will learn much about all aspects of this fiasco, including a growing list of firms taking on Smith and Nephew worldwide. Tracey is correct, and BHR cases in the US are in fact now being combined in just such a fashion, with collaboration between some of this country’s biggest law firms.
Good Luck, and we BHR victims will all see justice for this ‘experiment’, but me must be patient. It will happen, but we cannot control when that will be. But it WILL happen.
Reblogged this on Karma Life Readings.
My surgeon destroyed my peroneal nerve and left me with permanent foot drop in 2011. I was left with horrible pain and popping of joint. 8 months after surgery I started having strokes that left me left side compromised and without the use of left side. We have discussed a revision but due to strokes and arthritis in other hip, prognosis is not good. I coupd die on table which to me would be just fine. I wish I was dead anyway. My surgeon could care less and he wishes I would just disappear. If God exists, I hope my surgeon gets judged as harshly as possible. He was not at his best on that morning of my surgery. Do no harm has no meaning to him. He got paid and his practice flourishes and sll I want to do is commit suicide and get this over with. Who knows, may be I will do it this afternoon. I cannot continue living with the pain and with how he left me. Do not use this surgeon. Call me first and I will gladly give you his name. 303-499-7865. If he wants to sue me for doing this. I don’t care. I have nothing left my life has been destroyed. Bhr hip resurfacings are just as bad. Live with your hips for as long as you can. It’s much more preferable to how mine turned out. I have a short paralized leg debilitating strokes. Addiction to opiate pain killers horrible pain. Whole leg aches and pops. Permanent foot drop and paralysis.Dear Lord Jesus, please take me tonight and end this madness. My surgeon lied to me about this whole mess. May he rot in hell.
Terry Drew
Terry Drew
Hi Terry
my peroneal nerve was damaged in 2011 too – in a 5.5 hr revision operation. I had foot drop and it took 8 months to learn to walk properly again with a numb foot. Fortunately I walk reasonably normally now and I only have some residual nerve damage BUT somehow this aggravated a form of neuropathy and my feet hurt like hell most days. And the revised hip still hurts 3 years later while my left hip should have been replaced in 2011 if it hadn’t been for the revision. But I am mobile, just have constant pain which is increasingly hard to ignore, especially sitting, walking or lying down – maybe I need to hang from the ceiling? Like you I have suffered depression and did not care whether I lived or died. But living with pain seems better than not living, most days. At least I am not a paraplegic or worse. Hang in there. Find something to focus on if you can. I know it is hard and I fully understand how you feel.
Earl