A woman has filed a lawsuit regarding problems with a Stryker femoral head used in her hip replacement surgery.

Plaintiff Cynthia L. said she received a Stryker LFIT Anatomic CoCr V40 femoral head in her left hip in May 2015. The Stryker femoral head was paired with a Stryker Accolade II femoral stem.

She allegedly was scheduled for an explantation of the Stryker femoral head in May 2017, but that surgery was canceled.

Cynthia’s lawsuit joins an MDL against Stryker’s parent company, Howmedica Osteonics Corp., that is going through the federal court system in Massachusetts.

She joins other plaintiffs who have similar complaints regarding the metal-on-metal knee implant systems. The Stryker femoral head was marketed in conjunction with the Accolade II femoral stem, which is made of a proprietary titanium alloy consisting of titanium, aluminum and vanadium. This alloy was designed and patented by Howmedica.

Stryker Femoral Head Recall

In order for the Stryker femoral head to fit properly with the Accolade II stem, a Morse taper is used. This Morse taper is a cone within a cone that allows the head and stem to fit tightly together once a surgeon uses a special impacting tool to hammer the pieces together.

“Failure of the V40 taper interface allows micro-motion of these components and promotes corrosion and fretting,” alleges the Stryker femoral head lawsuit.

Howmedica recalled the Stryker femoral head because of an excess of reports about taper lock failure. Once failure sets in, the only solution is to have that component removed.

When the metal pieces fret, tiny slivers of metal settle into the nearby tissue. Before long, the body reacts with inflammation and fluid retention. Affected tissue can die as metal poisoning enters the bones and eventually, the blood stream.

Patients who have received a hip implant that includes the Stryker femoral head can ask their doctor for a simple blood test to see if they have elevated levels of metals in their blood, which would indicate metallosis (metal poisoning) and corroding parts. Patients who are not having symptoms yet might still have toxic levels of cobalt and chromium in their blood streams.

A study published in the July 2012 issue of Orthopedics found that 95 percent of studied patients with metal-on-metal hip implant systems needed a revision surgery within three years because of failed components.

Indications you are having issues with the Stryker femoral head may include impaired mobility, chronic pain, inflammation, swelling around the hip joint and dislocation. If the joint feels instable or loose, you should tell your doctor. In severe cases, a periprosthetic fracture (broken bone around the implant) can occur.

If you have had serious problems with the Stryker femoral head as part of your hip implant system, you could be eligible for compensation through representation.

The Stryker Femoral Head Lawsuit is Case No. 1:18-cv-11399-IT and is part of the Stryker LFIT V49 MDL, In re: Stryker LFIT V40 Femoral Head Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2768, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts.