Toe implant removal

What is toe implant removal, and why is it done?

Cartiva is a small implant placed in the joint at the base of the big toe. It was used for arthritis that makes that joint stiff and sore. If the implant fails, a surgeon may take it out and fuse the joint so the bones grow into one.

The implant is a tiny gel cylinder made from a kind of plastic and salt water. It is pressed into the end of the long foot bone at the big-toe joint. FDA approved it in 2016 as another choice besides fusion. It does not grow new cartilage.

FDA’s 2016 review lists loosening, sinking into the bone, and a switch to fusion among the possible risks. In October 2024 the maker began a recall of every lot sent out from July 2016 to October 2024. It said people may have more removals, sinking, pain or nerve damage than expected.

When should I talk to my doctor about toe implant removal?

Talk to your foot surgeon if your big toe has new or worse pain, stiffness, swelling or weakness, or if walking gets hard. Doctors were told to watch for these signs after the recall. Only you and your surgeon can decide if the implant should come out.

A recall does not mean every implant must be removed. FDA says companies often ask doctors to talk with patients about the risk of taking a device out compared with leaving it in. Never have a device removed just for a lawsuit.

AAOS says taking out big-toe joint replacement implants in a later surgery can cause a lot of bone loss. Write down your questions before the visit, and ask what your X-rays show.

How is the implant removed, and how are problems treated?

The surgeon takes out the implant. To fuse the joint, the damaged cartilage is removed, and pins, screws or a plate hold the bones still. Over time the bones grow together, so the toe joint no longer bends.

AAOS calls fusion the most reliable way to ease pain from severe big-toe arthritis. After a fusion, most people wear a splint or cast for about six weeks. Swelling can last three to six months.

Which records matter after toe implant removal?

Ask for the operative report from the removal. Federal hospital rules say the surgeon writes or dictates it right after surgery and signs it. It notes what was found and what tissue was removed or changed.

Also get the record from your first toe surgery, when the implant went in. A device label shows a code called a UDI that names the exact model. FDA’s recall record lists a code for each Cartiva size, and anyone can look codes up in AccessGUDID.

Was the implant kept after it came out? Ask the hospital, and ask where it went. FDA’s MedWatch form asks whether a device is still available to be examined. The judge in the Cartiva cases asked the lawyers to keep working on whether and how removed implants are kept.

If the implant or tissue went to a lab, ask for the lab’s report, called a pathology report. It says what the lab saw by eye and under a microscope. You can get copies of your own records, X-rays included. To ask for them in writing, try our records request tool.

The Cartiva case page also has a longer guide to removal and fusion records.

What does research say about Cartiva implants and removal?

In FDA’s two-year trial, 14 of 152 people with the implant had it taken out. Of 50 people with a fusion, 4 or 5 had the fusion hardware taken out; FDA’s summary gives both numbers. FDA says each implant that came out was changed to a fusion without problems. Studies describe groups, not why one person’s implant failed.

A New York review of 18 studies followed implant patients for about two years on average. Across these studies, failure was reported in 14.8% of 1,349 implant patients, 9.0% of 322 fusion patients and 0.3% of 168 bone spur removal patients.

A fusion after a failed implant may not go as well as a first-time fusion. A Canadian study found more bones that did not join, and worse function, in that group.

The federal Cartiva cases are at an early stage. In the federal court records we read, we found no ruling on whether the implant caused anyone’s harm.

Who brings Cartiva toe implant claims?

People who had a Cartiva implant brought these federal cases. They claim it was defective and caused lasting pain and stiffness, and that they needed more surgery to remove it and fuse the joint. A lawyer can look at your records and tell you if you may have a claim.

In February 2026 the federal cases were grouped before one judge in Arkansas. The Cartiva case page explains where they stand now.

Can a family member get records after toe implant removal?

Sometimes. HIPAA lets a personal representative ask for records as if they were the patient. For a child, that is usually a parent, with a few exceptions.

A person named in an adult’s health care power of attorney can often ask for records as their personal representative. After a death, the person who handles the estate can get the records needed for that job. Your state’s law decides who can act.

While the person is alive, a provider may share details with a family member who helps with care, unless the person says no.

After a death, a provider may also share some details with family who helped with the person’s care, limited to that care.

After a death, our wrongful death case page explains in general how those claims work.