A man has filed a Stryker Accolade hip lawsuit after his hip implant system failed.

In December 2008, plaintiff Dick M. received a hip implant system that included Stryker’s Accolade TMZF femoral stem and an LFIT Anatomic CoCr V40 femoral head in his left hip. When the hip system failed, he had the femoral head explanted in December 2016.

His Stryker Accolade hip lawsuit says he has suffered injuries to himself and economic loss, while his wife has suffered loss of services and loss of consortium. Dick’s complaint is part of a Stryker multidistrict litigation, or MDL, in a federal court in Massachusetts.

Stryker Accolade Hip Lawsuit Alleges Metal Poisoning

According to the lawsuit, the Stryker Accolade TMZF femoral stem and the LFIT V40 femoral head contain different types of metal. As these parts come into contact with each other day after day, microscopic particles can be shaved off and enter the body, allowing cobalt and chromium to leach into a patient’s system.

Metal particles can enter the surrounding tissue and cause tissue death, also known as necrosis. Live tissue reacts by becoming painful and inflamed. When excessive metal debris accumulates in the joint space, the body can experience bone loss as well. The only cure for this metal poisoning, or metallosis, is to endure a revision surgery.

Neurological issues, heart problems, and damage to internal organs including the spleen, liver, kidneys and lymph nodes have all been linked to metal exposure.

The Stryker Accolade hip lawsuit points to taper lock failure as another reason for revision surgery. When the connection point at the femoral stem fails, the condition is called taper lock failure. Some surgeons have suggested the stem is too small to properly secure the head in the first place.

While an MRI will reveal fluid buildup around the hip joint, blood tests are necessary to determine cobalt and chromium levels.

The health journal Orthopedics published a 2012 study in that determined 95 percent of patients needed revision surgery within three years if their original metal-on-metal hip replacement surgery failed.

The Stryker Accolade hip lawsuit reveals the following indications that a hip implant is failing:

• User annoyance
• Loss of mobility
• Pain
• Inflammation
• Local tissue reaction, swelling
• Dislocation
• Joint instability
• Loosened implant, resulting in pain
• Difficulty walking or standing
• Leg length difference
• Bone fracture around the implant
• Chromium and cobalt poisoning
• Noise coming from the implant

Stryker previously set up a $1.4 billion mediated settlement fund for patients who had received defective hip implants that were subject to recalls in years past.

If you have undergone hip replacement surgery that has subsequently failed, you could be eligible for compensation by filing a Stryker Accolade hip lawsuit.

The Stryker Accolade Hip Lawsuit is Case No. 1:17-cv-12011-IT and is part of the Stryker MDL, In re: Stryker LFIT V40 Femoral Head Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 17-md-2768-IT in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts.