Yet another Stryker hip lawsuit has been filed, joining the pile of litigation filed against the company since the Stryker V40 recall over serious side effects.

After the Stryker V40 recall was issued over the risk of failure and injury, more and more patients have come forward with lawsuits against the device’s manufacturer.

According to lawsuits, Stryker failed to adequately test its hip implants. Moreover, lawsuits claim that Stryker was aware of complications associated with the device, but did not warn patients or the medical community about these risks until the Stryker V40 recall itself was issued.

Stryker V40 Recall Lawsuit

The Missouri plaintiff, Randy H., was implanted with a Stryker LFIT Anatomic CoCR V40 Femoral Head device in his left hip in April 2008. Unfortunately, the device led to metallosis complications and eventually failed, and Randy was forced to have the femoral head explanted in February 2017.

Randy chose to file a lawsuit over these metallosis side effects on Jan. 17, 2018. The lawsuit was filed on multiple counts, including negligence, defective device, breach of express and implied warranties, and several others. Randy’s wife Nancy also filed on one count of loss of consortium.

Stryker V40 Hip Implant Device Basics

Hip surgery is a common surgery in the United States, used in order to alleviate hip pain often caused by arthritis and hip fractures. Many hip replacements are done with metal-on-metal hip implants, including the Stryker V40 hip system. Metal-on-metal devices have two metal components—the ball and the cup—that can slide or rub together as the patient moves about. Unfortunately, metal-on-metal devices carry serious risks associated with these metals.

Stryker V40 Recall

In response to the serious complications associated with these devices, a Stryker V40 recall was issued. The Stryker V40 recall came after reports of side effects were associated with Stryker’s V40 component, including metallosis.

Metallosis is a kind of metal poisoning that can occur when the metals rub together, releasing metal particles. In this case, the Stryker implant releases cobalt and chromium particles, which can move into the bloodstream. If excessive metal particles are released, they can travel through the blood and kill off surrounding tissue and nearby bone.

The V40 can be used in conjunction with several other Stryker hip products, including the Accolade TMZF, Accolade 2, 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.

In many cases, serious side effects like device 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 V40 Recall Lawsuit

If you or someone you love was implanted with a metal hip implant containing the Stryker LFIT V40 femoral head recall part and have suffered from these or other side effects, you may be able to file a class action lawsuit. While filing a Stryker V40 recall lawsuit cannot take away the pain and suffering of hip implant defects, it can help to alleviate the financial burden of medical expenses and lost wages from these injuries.

The Stryker V40 Recall Lawsuit is Case No. 1:17-md-02768-IT, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts.