An Oregon plaintiff recently filed a lawsuit against Howmedica claiming that the company’s ABG II hip stem caused her to suffer significant complications, including metallosis. The lawsuit adds to the growing pile of litigation against Howmedica over its Stryker hip implant complications.

The plaintiff, Lynor B., alleges that she was implanted with an ABG II hip stem in her right hip on March 20, 2012. However, in the months and years following implantation with the ABG II hip stem, she says she began suffering from complications of the device, resulting in injury as well as economic loses.

According to the hip implant lawsuit, Lynor suffered from what is known as metallosis, a kind of metal poisoning caused by the release of chromium and cobalt from ABG II hip stem’s metal components rubbing together. The lawsuit notes that Lynor has not yet scheduled explantation surgery to remove the ABG II hip stem.

According to Lynor’s lawsuit, she was not adequately warned of the risk of metallosis or other complications linked with the use of the ABG II hip stem, which has since been recalled because of these risks.

The plaintiff filed this ABG II hip stem lawsuit on Aug. 17, 2018, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota. The lawsuit was filed on multiple counts, including negligence, defective design, manufacturing defect, failure to warn, breach of express and implied warranties, and several others.

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 ABG II hip stem 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 ABG II hip stem. Accolade TMZF, Accolade 2, Citation stems, and Meridian. 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 an ABG II hip stem or other defective Stryker hip implant 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 ABG II Hip Stem Lawsuit is Case No. 0:18-cv-02415-DWF-BRT, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota.