Thousands of hip implants were affected by a Stryker hip recall after they were linked with serious complications, including metallosis. Some patients affected by these major side effects have turned to litigation, hoping to regain some kind of compensation. One such lawsuit was recently filed by an Iowa woman and her husband, who alleged that one of the devices included in the Stryker hip recall caused metallosis side effects.

The plaintiff, Peggy J., says she was implanted with a metal hip implant in her left hip on Dec. 20, 2012. The specific implant used was the Stryker Accolade II, which has an LFIT Anatomic CoCr V40 Femoral Head component. She was also implanted with another Accolade device in her right hip on March 28, 2013.

Unfortunately, after implantation with these devices, Peggy alleges that she began experiencing serious metallosis complications, with excessive levels of chromium and cobalt in her blood, ultimately leading to the removal of both devices. Her left hip device was explanted in March 2015, and the other was removed in September 2017. Peggy claims that the implanted devices were defective and that she was not adequately warned about these risks.

The Stryker hip recall lawsuit was filed on multiple counts, including negligence, defective design, manufacturing defect, failure to warn, breach of express and implied warranties, and several others. Peggy’s husband Roger also filed on one count of loss of consortium.

Stryker Hip Recall

Hip surgery is one of the more common procedures in the United States, and is used to alleviate hip pain often caused by arthritis and hip fractures. The Stryker V40 recall came after reports of taper lock failure, a problem that occurs at the point where the femoral head connects to the implant stem.

Other side effects associated with the LFIT V40 femoral head include metallosis, a kind of metal poisoning that can occur when the two metal components of a metal-on-metal device rub together, releasing metal particles. In these cases, the Stryker implant allegedly released cobalt and chromium particles, moving into the bloodstream. Excessive amounts of metal can travel through the blood and damage or kill off surrounding tissue and nearby bone.

Several Stryker implants have been the subject of recent products liability claims, including the Accolade TMZF, Accolade 2 (included in this lawsuit), Citation stems, and Meridian stems. The defective component in all of these devices is the LFIT V40 femoral head, associated with device failure and related complications. Stryker hip implants have also been linked with dislocation and dissociation of the device.

Serious side effects like device failure or metallosis can require revision surgery to fix and replace the defective device. However, revision surgery brings with it its own risks and further medical expenses.

Filing a Stryker Hip Recall Lawsuit

If you or someone you love was implanted with a metal hip implant included in the Stryker hip recall and have since suffered from these or other side effects, you may be able to file a lawsuit. While filing a Stryker hip recall lawsuit cannot take away the pain and suffering caused by hip implant defects, it can help to alleviate the financial burden of medical expenses and lost wages from these injuries.

The Stryker Hip Recall Lawsuit is Case No. 1:18-cv-10454, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts.