A plaintiff filed a lawsuit in Georgia federal court, demanding a jury trial, against Howmedica Osteonics Corporation, alleging Stryker Accolade complications occurred with his hip replacement.

According to the Stryker Accolade complications lawsuit, plaintiff Marc L. was implanted with a Stryker LFIT V40 femoral head and a Stryker Accolade Stem. These components are collectively referred to as an implanted hip system.

Allegedly, however, as a result of this implantation, he suffered severe adverse effects, complications and injuries. All of these were due to the failure of the Stryker hip system, he claims.

How a Hip Replacement Works

At the hip joint, where the femur attaches to the pelvis, the, “joint is made up of the femoral head (ball like structure at the top of the femur), rotating within the acetabulum (a cup-like structure at the bottom of the pelvis).”

In a normal hip, both the femur and acetabulum are strong.  Over time the body’s cartilage begins to break down due to age and wear down. According to the Stryker Accolade complications, this wear down causes the femur bone to rub against the acetabulum bone causing severe discomfort, immobility, and pain.

A total hip replacement,  like the one in this Stryker Accolade complications lawsuit, replaces the body’s natural parts and alignment with an artificial one.

The hip replacement system  is usually made up of plastic or metal and consists of four different components: 1) femoral stem, 2) femoral head, 3) a line, and 4) an acetabular shell.

According to the Stryker Accolade complications lawsuit, the femur bone is hollowed out during the procedure, while a metal ball, or femoral head is affixed on top of the femoral stem that’s implanted. A line is locked in the acetabular shell while it fits into the hip socket.

Stryker Accolade Complications Lawsuit Facts

While the hip system was designed to help increase mobility, flexibility, and range of motion with a patient’s hip bone, the Stryker Accolade complications lawsuit maintains that, “the hip system implant design is more prone to in vivo corrosion and mechanical wear when implanted into a human being than hip devices manufactured by other companies.”

The metal hip system manufactured by the defendant, rather, allegedly causes corrosion and wear, creating metal debris that causes damage to the surrounding tissue which can become necrotic.

According to the Stryker Accolade complications lawsuit, part of the reason why such severe complications arise is because of the metal-on-metal arrangement of the Hip System. A metal acetabular cup and metal femoral stem, when implanted, will rub together and release metal particles into the patient’s soft tissue. This causes a condition called metallosis.

Additionally, the deposit and build-up of metal debris in the body’s soft tissue can not only cause damage, but it can further accumulate around the hip joint causing soft tissue growths, pain, swelling, and bone loss. This metal debris may also begin to circulate in the patient’s bloodstream causing other serious complications and adverse effects.

According to the Stryker Accolade complications lawsuit, the defendants had run the approval for the Hip System through an FDA process known as 510 (k). This allows companies to bypass having to show extensive clinical studies, and instead show that similar devices are already being sold on the market.

The Stryker Accolade complications lawsuit maintains that soon after the Marc’s first implantation he had to undergo hip revision surgery where an orthopedic surgeon removed certain parts from the Hip System and replaced them with new components.

The Stryker Accolade Complications Lawsuit is Case No. 1:17-cv-03071-TCB, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia.