Howmedica Osteonics Corp. faces another lawsuit filed by a Washington man alleging he suffered severe injuries due to Stryker hip implant defects.

Plaintiff John G. filed the Stryker lawsuit joining a growing multidistrict litigation against the company in Massachusetts federal court. John alleges he was implanted with an LFIT Anatomic CoCr V40 Femoral Head and Accolade TMZF on his left hip on Apr. 27, 2007 at Kaiser Permanente located in Washington State, according to the Stryker hip implant defects lawsuit.

The device was later removed on May 5, 2017, allegedly due to injuries that he suffered. He alleges that after the hip device was implanted he suffered from excessive levels of chromium and cobalt leaking into his bloodstream. John discovered the incident after having his blood drawn and his blood work abnormalities were reported.

The Stryker hip implant defects lawsuit was filed on Nov. 27, 2017. It alleges multiple claims including negligence, defective design, failure to warn, breach of express warranty, breach of implied warranties, violation of consumer fraud, and negligent misrepresentation. John requests a trial by jury.

Overview Stryker Hip Implant

John’s claim is filed as part of a large multidistrict litigation, or MDL, centered on allegations that problems with the Stryker LFIT V40 femoral head may have led to complications such as fretting, metal toxicity, and corrosion.

Howmedica Osteonics operates as a subsidiary of Stryker Orthopedics, which manufactures, develops, and distributes orthopedic products and services. The company was founded in 1970 and offers upper extremity, knee, hip, and spinal systems.

Howmedica marketed the device promoting its durability and permanence. Manufactured to replace diminished and worsened hip bones and to increase hip function and mobility, the metal-on-metal hip implant quickly gained popularity, especially with younger-aged patients.

On Aug. 29, 2016, Stryker announced a voluntary recall of femoral heads made before 2011. The company sent an “Urgent Medical Device Recall Notification” letter to surgeons that implanted patients with the device.

Stryker informed surgeons that they received an increasing number of complaints surrounding the Stryker LFIT V40 and that the device may cause hip replacement failure.

LFIT V40 Voluntary Recall

Hazards and problems reported with the recalled device included excessive wear debris, insufficient range of motion, hip stem fractures, dissociation of the femoral head from the stem, loss of bone fixation strength, and noise.

Patients who have suffered injuries from Stryker hip implant defects were able to tell that their device was failing by undergoing a blood check to see if they have elevated levels of cobalt and chromium. Patients experiencing increased levels of metal ions who have a Stryker hip implant may need to undergo revision surgery to remove and replace the failed hip replacement system.

Stryker’s 2016 recall notification about the LFIT V40 femoral head is not the first hip implant recall that Stryker has issued. In July 2012, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that Stryker began a voluntary recall of the Rejuvenate and ABG II stems due to complications also resulting from corrosion and fretting. Patients being implanted with the V40 are appear to be suffering and undergoing parallel injuries as those implanted with the Rejuvenate and ABG II stems.

The Stryker Hip Implant Defects Lawsuit is Case No. 1:17-cv-12336-IT, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts. The Stryker MDL is In re: Stryker LFIT V40 Femoral Head Products Liability Litigation, Case No. 17-md-2768-IT, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts.