A Massachusetts woman recently filed a new medical lawsuit, alleging she has suffered injuries because of a defective Stryker hip implant.

The plaintiff, Christine R., says she was implanted with a Stryker hip implant in both her right and left hips in 2013 and 2016, respectively. In her right hip, she was implanted with a Stryker Accolade II, and in her left a Summit cementless implant, both of which use an LFIT Anatomic CoCr V40 Femoral Head component.

Unfortunately, according to Christine’s lawsuit, she began experiencing complications after implantation in both her left and right hip, which will necessitate device removal. Christine alleges that she has suffered from metallosis—excessive levels of chromium and cobalt that were released into her bloodstream and the surrounding tissue and bone by the defective Stryker hip implant.

Christine filed her Stryker hip implant lawsuit on May 21, 2018 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts. The lawsuit was filed on multiple counts, including negligence, defective design, manufacturing defect, and failure to warn, among others.

The Stryker Hip Implant Recall

After receiving a slew of complaints about the V40 femoral head component included in some of its hip implant devices, Stryker issued a recall of the component. The recall was issued in November 2016, affecting more than 42,000 total devices nationwide and internationally.

According to the FDA’s recall announcement, Stryker’s reason for recalling the device was “incidence of harm secondary to taper lock failure” in the recalled LFIT V40 femoral head components.

The Stryker recall came after reports of side effects were associated with Stryker’s V40 femoral head component, including metallosis, a kind of metal poisoning that can occur when the metals rub together, releasing metal particles that move into the bloodstream. Excessive levels of metals can lead to further complications.

Several Stryker hip products were affected by the Stryker V40 femoral head recall, including the Accolade TMZF, Accolade 2, Citation stems, and Meridian stems. On top of V40 femoral head failure, Stryker hip implants have also been linked with dislocation and dissociation of the device.

In many cases, serious side effects like Stryker hip implant failure or metallosis can require revision surgery to fix, replacing the defective implant. However, any additional surgery brings with it its own risks of complications, infection, and further medical expenses.

Filing a Stryker Hip Implant Lawsuit

If you or someone you love was implanted with a metal hip implant and has since experienced Stryker hip implant failure, metallosis, or other side effects, you may be able to file a class action lawsuit. While filing a lawsuit cannot take away the pain and suffering caused by Stryker hip implant complications, it can help to alleviate the financial burden of medical expenses and lost wages from these injuries.

The Stryker Hip Implant Lawsuit is Case No. 1:18-cv-11049-IT, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts.