Sulzer Orthopedics Inter-Op

Recall of acetabular shells for hip replacement affects roughly 17,750 devices implanted in the U.S. after October 1999, the company announces Dec. 8. Testing of the manufacturing process showed a low percentage of components having a residue of lubricant on the exterior porous surface, which may cause aseptic loosening of the shell, Sulzer explains. "Only a very small number of patients who have received one of these shells may require medical intervention other than post-operative monitoring," the firm says