A metal hip replacement lawsuit was filed that claims Howmedica Osteonics Corporation (Howmedica) and Stryker Corporation (Stryker) produced a faulty product that caused a recipient to suffer extreme pain.

Plaintiff Christine Geiselhart underwent right total hip arthroplasty in 2010. The plaintiff had no complaints until 2012 when Geiselhard began to feel pain and experience a limitation in movement in her right hip, her metal hip replacement lawsuit says.

Blood tests done in November 2012 revealed severely increased levels of chromium and cobalt. This chemical increase is allegedly the result of a failure in the Stryker Rejuvenate System.

The defendants received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2008 “without undergoing clinical trials,” because the defendants believed this new device was similar to previously approved devices, according to the metal hip replacement lawsuit.

However, the defendants have issued several warnings and recalls concerning their metal hip replacement products. The Stryker lawsuit alleges that the defendants “sold a misbranded and adulterated product” that was in violation of FDA requirements and standards.

The rise in chemicals in the body was just the beginning of Gesielhart’s problem with her metal hip replacement. In February 2013, Gesielhart had the defective Stryker Rejuvenate System removed and was, according to the metal hip replacement lawsuit, “left with permanent disabilities, weakness, limping, and pain” as a result of the direct harm from the faulty product and from the surgery. Not only did the Stryker Rejuvenate System fail according to the stated design and function of the product, but Gesielhart had to encounter more pain and suffering in order to reverse the process, the hip implant lawsuit says.

Hundreds of other metal hip replacements have required reversal over the past several years. One study in the journal Orthopedics suggested that 95 percent of metal-on-metal hip replacements (as opposed to metal-on-plastic or ceramic hip implants, which do not carry the same risks) result in revision surgery. Many have filed metal hip replacement lawsuits claiming side effects such as loss of bone strength, cobalt poisoning, tissue death, cancer, and degenerative heart disease. A hip replacement class action lawsuit settlement investigation is underway.

This Metal Hip Replacement Lawsuit is Christine and Paul Geiselhart v. Howmedica Osteonics Co., et al., Case No. 13-cv-5533, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.