If you have had hip replacement surgery that used an Exactech hip implant system, your medical device insert has likely been recalled, and you may be eligible for compensation, including for the cost of surgery to remove the implant and for your pain and suffering.
Exactech, Inc., headquartered in Gainesville, Florida, has recalled nearly 130,000 hip replacement devices implanted between 2004 and 2021. They are known as Connexion GXL and conventional polyethylene acetabular liners. The company says the liners on its hip implants may wear out sooner than expected, requiring revision surgery to remove and replace the faulty hip implants.
If you are an at-risk hip replacement patient in South Carolina, you should speak to your surgeon and an experienced defective medical device lawyer as soon as you can. Our South Carolina defective medical device attorneys at Joye Law Firm can guide you through the process of having your medical status evaluated and corrected as necessary. Our attorneys can help you pursue full compensation for your medical costs and the unnecessary ordeal that Exactech’s negligence has caused you to endure.
Do not enroll in Exactech’s recall program without speaking first to a knowledgeable defective medical device attorney. Contact Joye Law Firm by calling 888-324-3100 or by filling out our online case evaluation form for a free consultation.
About Exactech Hip Replacement Recalls
Exactech has recalled 130,000 of its Connexion GXL and conventional polyethylene acetabular hip liners because faulty packaging may have caused exposure that has led to the liners degrading and failing sooner than expected. The degradation of the implants can cause them to loosen and allow improper movement that causes bone loss at the implantation site. The only remedy is surgery to remove and replace the implant.
Symptoms of a faulty Exactech hip implant beginning to fail include new or worsening:
- Hip and/or groin pain
- Hip swelling
- Pain while walking
- Inability to bear weight
- Instability
- Grinding, clicking, or other noise within your implanted
Exactech says some patients experience premature wear of the plastic hip liner and damage to the bone without experiencing symptoms.
Don’t Let Exactech Short-Change You as It Recalls Its Faulty Hip Implants
As an Exactech hip implant recipient, you may have received a form letter from your surgeon advising you of the recall and the next steps. The form letter says your doctor may contact you to schedule an exam. It also advises you to contact a third-party administrator that Exactech has hired to handle compensation claims.
But you should contact a defective medical device attorney at Joye Law Firm to help you with a potential Exactech hip replacement lawsuit.
The insurance company Exactech has hired to handle wronged patients’ claims expressly says on its website that it implements programs that result in lower costs for their clients – like Exactech. In short, Exactech has hired a company to pay out as little as possible to resolve claims filed by the people Exactech has harmed. You will need a determined product liability attorney to stand up for your right to demand full compensation for the harm you have suffered.
Compensation You May Be Due in the Exactech Hip Replacement Recall
Medical device manufacturers such as Exactech have a legal duty to ensure that their products are safe and free of any design defects or manufacturing defects that could cause foreseeable harm to patients. In South Carolina, consumers who have been harmed by defective medical products are entitled to seek compensation for the full extent of their expenses and losses, including:
- Past and future medical bills
- Past and future pain and suffering and emotional distress
- Past and future lost wages and loss of earning capacity
- Wrongful death if the product contributed to the patient’s
A proper financial recovery should pay you for all costs of doctor appointments, treatment, and medication related to pain you have experienced because of your faulty hip implant, as well as the costs of revision surgery and rehabilitation afterward. You should also be compensated for the pain you have suffered, including the emotional stress of facing additional surgery and recovery.
If you have lost income due to absence from work because of revision surgery and rehab, you should be compensated for your loss of income as well.
If a loved one of yours did not survive revision surgery to replace a faulty Exactech hip implant, you may be due additional compensation for funeral and burial expenses and what your loved one meant to you and your family.
Get Help from Our Exactech Hip Recall Lawyers
Joye Law Firm can help you pursue a claim against Exactech for the full compensation you are due. If your Exactech hip implant failed prematurely and you had to have it replaced, you may be entitled to pursue a product liability lawsuit against Exactech, Inc. for its manufacturing defect. Exactech has admitted that implants “packaged in nonconforming bags” may fail prematurely.
In the company’s FAQs about the recall, Exactech says, “For both GXL and conventional ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene liners, if the insert was packaged in a vacuum bag that is oxygen resistant but does not contain a secondary barrier layer containing ethylene vinyl alcohol that further augments oxygen resistance, there may be an increased risk of oxidation and early polyethylene wear.”
Many product liability lawsuits have already been filed against Exactech by people like you who suffered in pain and needed additional surgery because of the premature failure of their hip replacement implant. Many more Exactech hip replacement lawsuits are expected.
Joye Law Firm can help you compile documentation of your Exactech hip replacement surgery, the failure of your implant, and the pain, suffering, and money its failure has cost you. We can take your claim to Exactech’s third-party administrator and demand the full amount of compensation you are due. If the insurer does not agree to a fair settlement, we can file an Exactech hip replacement lawsuit in your name and present your demand for full compensation to a South Carolina jury.
Let Joye Law Firm conduct a thorough review of your case and determine the appropriate steps for you to take to protect your financial interests as you seek to recover your health. If you have a recalled Exactech hip replacement device and it has caused you pain and other complications due to premature failure, you owe it to yourself to speak to an experienced product liability attorney. The conversation with one of our attorneys is free.
Exactech Replacement Recall FAQs
Exactech Defective Hip Implant
What is the problem with Exactech hip implant liners?
Exactech Connexion GXL and conventional polyethylene liners were used in Exactech’s Novation and Alteon hip replacement systems. The liners were made with irradiated ultra-high molecular-weight polyethylene plastic, which was supposed to help them resist wear. However, polyethylene is susceptible to oxidation, a natural chemical process that occurs when materials are exposed to oxygen in the atmosphere.
After patients began to report problems with their hip implants, Exactech recognized that some of its plastic liners were wearing out sooner than expected. The company concluded that polyethylene liners manufactured since 2004 were packaged in out-of-specification vacuum bags that are oxygen resistant but do not contain a secondary oxygen barrier layer known as ethylene vinyl alcohol (EVOH), which enhances oxygen resistance. The use of non-conforming bags results in increased oxidation and premature degradation of the medical device.
Premature wear of the plastic insert of a hip replacement can lead to accelerated wear and bone loss and the device cracking or breaking. This can only be remedied with surgery to remove the faulty hip replacement and implant a new device.
How do I know whether my Exactech hip replacement is faulty?
Exactech, Inc. has said it would contact all patients implanted with one of the recalled hip liner implants and schedule the patients to have follow-up exams with their physicians. Your hip implant may be failing if you experience:
- Pain or swelling in the hip or groin
- Instability or pain while
- Grinding or noise coming from your hip
Determining whether the plastic in your hip liners is worn will require examining your hip in a doctor’s office and obtaining x-rays. If your hip implant has worn out earlier than expected, your doctor should make a recommendation as to whether revision surgery is needed.
If I need revision surgery to replace my faulty hip implant, will Exactech pay any of my costs?
Exactech has said in its information supplied to surgeons that it will reimburse patients whose implants are included in the recall for certain out-of-pocket expenses related to visiting their surgeon. These expenses might include copays, deductibles, and reasonable travel expenses associated with seeing the surgeon who performs their primary surgery.
This is not nearly adequate. Joye Law Firm can help you seek full restitution for all your medical costs as well as for your pain and suffering and reduction in income. If you are still working – or were working prior to your hip replacement failure – and have lost income because of a faulty Exactech medical product, we can demand restitution for your loss of income.
Get Help from Our Exactech Hip Replacement Recall Lawyers
If you have had an Exactech hip replacement that has failed prematurely, you may be eligible for compensation beyond what the Exactech company or its insurer is offering patients. Let Joye Law Firm assess your Exactech hip replacement recall claim and determine all that you are owed.
You can trust our South Carolina defective medical device attorneys to treat you with respect and work hard to recover the compensation you deserve. Since 1968, we have been helping hard-working South Carolinians recover the compensation they were due as a result of preventable harm caused by negligence on the part of individuals or businesses.
Call Joye Law Firm at 888-324-3100 or fill out our online contact form today for a free, no-obligation legal consultation with our attorneys. Our offices are located in Charleston, Myrtle
Beach, Clinton, Summerville, and Columbia. We represent clients throughout South Carolina.
