{"id":"6d347493-f993-4cc7-b634-23beeffc4ea9","slug":"wright-medical-conserve-hip-recall-2004","kind":"recall","headline":"Wright Medical voluntarily recalled CONSERVE hip system due to metal particle shedding","summary":"On September 20, 2004, Wright Medical Group voluntarily recalled its CONSERVE hip system after the metal-on-metal implant proved prone to shedding metal particles into the body, causing tissue damage, pain, and early implant failure. A 2016 study found an 18.4% revision rate within 4.5 years, well above acceptable norms. 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(formerly NASDAQ: WMGI) was a global medical device company specializing in upper and lower extremities (shoulder, elbow, wrist, hand, foot, ankle) and biologics, headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee. Founded in 1950, the company merged with Tornier N.V. in 2015 in a USD 3.3 billion tax inversion deal and was acquired by [Stryker](/companies/stryker) in November 2020 for approximately USD 4 billion. 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Palmisano (President and CEO, 2011-2020)"},{"label":"Ticker","value":"Formerly NASDAQ: WMGI (delisted after Stryker acquisition)"},{"label":"Acquired by","value":"Stryker (NYSE: SYK) for ~USD 4 billion, completed Nov 11, 2020"},{"label":"Tornier merger","value":"USD 3.3 billion all-stock merger of equals, completed 2015"},{"label":"Specialty","value":"Upper extremities (shoulder, elbow, wrist, hand) and lower extremities (foot, ankle) and biologics"},{"label":"IMASCAP acquisition","value":"Acquired IMASCAP SAS for USD 88 million in 2019 for surgical planning and robotics"},{"label":"Hip implant controversies","value":"Conserve, Profemur, and Dynasty metal-on-metal hip implants faced FDA scrutiny, recalls, and lawsuits"}],"aliases":["Wright Medical"],"collisionRisk":"low","reviewNote":null,"atsProvider":null,"atsSlug":null,"factoryLocations":null,"manufacturingCapacity":null,"orgType":null,"burnSignal":null,"litigationEvents":null,"insurancePostureDisclosed":null,"unitEconomicsDisclosed":null,"tickerSymbol":null,"stockExchange":null,"secCik":null,"revenueUsd":null,"revenueBasis":null,"revenueAsOf":null,"employeeCount":null,"employeeCountBasis":null,"employeeCountAsOf":null,"marketCapUsd":null,"marketCapAsOf":null,"marketCapSource":null,"createdAt":"2026-06-25T00:29:55.863Z","updatedAt":"2026-08-05T14:55:39.279Z"},"derived":{"status":"active"},"sources":[{"id":"1bbb58f4-e1cd-4468-9d10-12e6d991dd03","incidentId":"6d347493-f993-4cc7-b634-23beeffc4ea9","url":"https://gravesmclain.com/practice-areas/wright-medical-recalls-hip-replacement-units/","label":"Graves McLain","publishedAt":"2024-01-01T00:00:00.000Z","notes":null,"title":null,"sourceName":"Graves McLain","mediaType":"article","videoId":null,"channel":null,"durationSec":null,"timestampSec":null,"createdAt":"2026-07-30T03:08:07.918Z","updatedAt":"2026-07-30T03:08:07.918Z"},{"id":"480e563c-67bf-4c70-95d1-0d58c2d85689","incidentId":"6d347493-f993-4cc7-b634-23beeffc4ea9","url":"https://www.drugwatch.com/hip-replacement/wright-medical/","label":"Drugwatch","publishedAt":"2026-03-05T00:00:00.000Z","notes":null,"title":null,"sourceName":"Drugwatch","mediaType":"article","videoId":null,"channel":null,"durationSec":null,"timestampSec":null,"createdAt":"2026-07-30T03:08:07.918Z","updatedAt":"2026-07-30T03:08:07.918Z"}],"responses":[],"statusEvents":[{"id":"fd8520c9-28f2-4e0b-8988-84d35740dea6","incidentId":"6d347493-f993-4cc7-b634-23beeffc4ea9","status":"active","reason":null,"source":"agent:recon","effectiveAt":"2026-07-30T03:08:09.053Z","createdAt":"2026-07-30T03:08:09.053Z"}],"jsonLd":{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://registry.deploy.report/incidents/wright-medical-conserve-hip-recall-2004","url":"https://registry.deploy.report/incidents/wright-medical-conserve-hip-recall-2004","headline":"Wright Medical voluntarily recalled CONSERVE hip system due to metal particle shedding","description":"On September 20, 2004, Wright Medical Group voluntarily recalled its CONSERVE hip system after the metal-on-metal implant proved prone to shedding metal particles into the body, causing tissue damage, pain, and early implant failure. A 2016 study found an 18.4% revision rate within 4.5 years, well above acceptable norms. The company faced numerous lawsuits and eventually exited the hip implant business in 2016.","identifier":"6d347493-f993-4cc7-b634-23beeffc4ea9","datePublished":"2004-09-20T00:00:00.000Z","articleSection":"recall","publisher":{"@id":"https://deploy.report/#organization"},"author":{"@id":"https://deploy.report/#organization"}},"framework_metadata":{"framework_schema_version":"0.1.0","verification_status":"verified","maturity_stage":null,"lifecycle_state":null,"architectural_position":{"cohort":null,"sub_cohorts":[]},"within_cohort_verified_vs_claimed_pair":null,"cap_flags":[],"verification_depth":{"sources_count":2,"primary_source_types":[]}}}