On June 14, 2017, a Stryker Accolade hip lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Utah against the Howmedica Osteonics Corp., doing business as Stryker Orthopaedics.

The plaintiff, Pamela K., a current resident of the State of Utah, had a Stryker hip system implanted in her on May 14, 2012 in Houston. A little over three years later, she alleges, the hip prosthesis unit was found defective and removed from the plaintiff in hip revision surgery in Houston as well.

This Stryker Accolade hip lawsuit brings five counts against the defendant being strict product liability – strict liability for design defect, manufacturing defect, and failure to warn; negligence; breach of warranty; negligence per se; and negligent misrepresentation.

Prosthetic Failure Leading to Stryker Accolade Hip Lawsuit

According to the legal documentation of the Stryker Accolade hip lawsuit, the developers of the Accolade implant components did not submit them to the full clinical trials required by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for completely new medical devices prior to putting the hip system on the market.

The hip system refers to the Accolade 2 Stem (femoral) and LFIT V40 Femoral Head components in combination with metal acetabulum and plastic liner.

The FDA allowed the company to bypass tradition trials through its established 510(k) program. The 510(k) program’s requirements are that a medical pharmaceutical or device company prove that its product is substantially similar to an already approved product on the market to circumvent testing.

Pamela K. accuses the defendant of failing to meet its duty in knowing all the risks involved in the use of its product prior to its marketing and distribution.

As one of the unwitting victims of an allegedly failed prosthetic hip system, the plaintiff says she experienced corrosion of the metal implants, leading to a build-up of metal debris in surrounding tissue and in her blood.

She is engaging in this Stryker Accolade hip lawsuit because it became necessary for her to have multiple corrective surgeries.

Pamela K. alleges she had to have the prosthetic unit removed along with surrounding tissue that had become necrotic or dead due to a lack of blood supply. More surgeries were required to treat for metal debris from the corroded hip system that had caused extensive injury and damage.

In her Stryker Accolade hip lawsuit, Pamela alleges the injuries and damages she suffered have caused innumerable instances of physical and psychological pain and suffering, much of which has been ongoing and may possibly be permanent.

According to the legal documentation, she has been unable to resume the normal course of her life due to limited range of motion and ability to ambulate.

Because the plaintiff alleges she has incurred loss of income and accumulated massive medical bills, she is asking for compensatory damages for financial losses past, present, and future as the jury sees fit. She is also asking for an award of all legal costs related to this Stryker Accolade hip lawsuit and for physical and psychological suffering.

The Metal Hip Stryker Lawsuit is Case No. 2:17-cv-00583-DBP, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Utah.