A Connecticut woman recently filed a lawsuit alleging that her Stryker Rejuvenate hip implant was defective, leading to serious complications, including metallosis.

The plaintiff, Jean B., alleges she was implanted with a Stryker Rejuvenate hip implant in the right hip on Feb. 20, 2012. Unfortunately, she claims that following implantation, she began experiencing substantial pain and discomfort in her right hip. She also reports suffering from mobility restrictions, a need of medical treatment, and permanent damage to the hip joint itself.

As a result of these injuries, Jean says she had the Stryker Rejuvenate hip implant device removed on April 19, 2018.

Hip Replacement Failure

Jean alleges the specific cause of device failure noted by the surgeon was metal ion debris and corrosion from the device, leading to chromium and cobalt in her system. The hip implant lawsuit says the excessive levels of these metals in her body caused a number of issues, including damage to the surrounding tissue.

Jean was also allegedly forced to undergo hip revision surgery to remove the device, which was not only painful and expensive, but also exposed her to further risks.

According to Jean’s lawsuit, Howmedica (the parent company of Stryker) was aware of the risk of metallosis linked with its device, but failed to warn of the issue, manufacturing and distributing the devices regardless of the harm it could cause to patients like Jean.

Jean filed her Stryker Rejuvenate hip implant lawsuit on July 20, 2018, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota. The lawsuit was filed on multiple counts, including defective manufacture and design, failure to warn, negligence, and several others.

Stryker Rejuvenate Hip Implant

The Stryker Rejuvenate hip implant has been linked with a number of risks, leading to a recall of the device in 2012. However, around 20,000 Rejuvenate hip implant devices had already been implanted at that point.

Side effects linked with the Stryker Rejuvenate hip implant include metallosis, dislocation, fracture, and loosening. Metallosis is a kind of metal poisoning that can occur when the metal components rub together, releasing metal particles that move into the bloodstream. Excessive levels of metals can lead to further complications.

Unfortunately, even those who undergo revision surgery may continue to face risks. According to a study published in the Journal of Arthroplasty, revision of the Stryker Rejuvenate hip implant has been linked with a 13 percent rate of complications. On top of these risks, any additional surgery adds further medical expenses.

Several other Stryker hip products have also been affected by recalls, including the Accolade TMZF, Accolade 2, Citation stems, and Meridian stems.

If you or someone you love was implanted with a Stryker Rejuvenate hip implant or other hip implant from Stryker and has since experienced complications like 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 hip implant complications, it can help to alleviate the financial burden of medical expenses and lost wages from these injuries.

The Stryker Rejuvenate Hip Implant Lawsuit is Case No. 0:19-cv-02075-DWF-FLN, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota.