A Massachusetts man has filed a lawsuit against Stryker, alleging that a component of the medical device manufacturer’s hip implants, the LFIT V40 femoral head, is defective, and capable of causing serious complications.

The plaintiff, Robert H., says he was implanted in his right hip with a Stryker Accolade TMZF hip implant, which included the LFIT V40 femoral head component, on March 4, 2008. Unfortunately, over time, Robert says he began experiencing serious complications, which he claims were caused by a defective LFIT V40 femoral head component. Eventually, he claims, these side effects led to explantation of the device on Sept. 27, 2011.

According to the lawsuit, Stryker was aware of the complications associated with its LFIT V40 femoral head, yet failed to adequately warn the public and the medical community. Had Robert known of these risks, the lawsuit claims, he would have chosen a safer alternative.

The Stryker hip implant lawsuit was filed on multiple counts, including negligence, defective design, manufacturing defect, failure to warn, breach of express and implied warranties, and several others. The lawsuit was filed on Aug. 15, 2018, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts.

Stryker Hip Implant Basics

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. Unfortunately, Stryker hip implants containing the LFIT V40 femoral head component have been associated with significant complications, including 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.

Stryker Hip Implant Recall

Several Stryker implants were affected by the Stryker hip recall, including the Accolade TMZF, Accolade 2, Citation stems, and Meridian stems. Each of these implants may be used in conjunction with 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 Lawsuit

If you or someone you love was implanted with a metal hip implant with an LFIT V40 femoral head component and have since suffered from these or other side effects, you may be able to file a lawsuit. While filing a Stryker 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 LFIT V40 Femoral Head Lawsuit is Case No. 1:18-cv-11726-IT, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts.