A California man recently filed a new lawsuit against Howmedica, alleging that the use of the company’s Stryker LFIT hip replacement led to serious metallosis complications.

The plaintiff, Larry P. says he was implanted with a Stryker LFIT hip replacement device on June 3, 2009. The specific device used was the Accolade TMZF, which included a component known as an LFIT Anatomic CoCr V40 femoral head. Unfortunately, Larry alleges that years after implantation, serious complications led to the removal of the device on March 4, 2017.

Larry alleges he began suffering from excess levels of chromium and cobalt, released into his bloodstream by the metal-on-metal device. On top of the physical pain and revision surgery, Larry says his complications have also incurred significant medical expenses.

The Stryker LFIT hip replacement lawsuit was filed on multiple counts, including negligence, defective design, manufacturing defect, failure to warn, breach of express and implied warranties, and several others. Larry’s wife Bettina also claims one count of loss of consortium. Larry filed his lawsuit on July 3, 2018, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts.

Stryker LFIT Hip Replacement Basics

Hip surgery is a common procedures in the United States and is used to alleviate hip pain often caused by arthritis and hip fractures.

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 in November 2016. The recall affected more than 42,000 total devices nationwide and internationally.

Reported side effects leading to the recall included 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. Excessive amounts of metal can travel through the blood and damage or kill off surrounding tissue and nearby bone.

Several Stryker implants were affected by the Stryker hip recall, including the Accolade TMZF, Accolade 2 (included in this lawsuit), Citation stems, and Meridian stems. 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 LFIT Hip Replacement 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 LFIT hip replacement lawsuit cannot take away the pain and suffering caused by such complications, it can help to alleviate the financial burden of medical expenses and lost wages from these injuries.

The Stryker LFIT Hip Replacement is Case No. 1:18-cv-11402, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts.