Howmedica and its subsidiary Stryker Orthopaedics face a hip implant lawsuit that accuse the companies of harm resulting from their Stryker hip systems.

The Stryker Accolade hip stem lawsuit specifically pertains to the alleged harm endured due to the Accolade TMZF Hip Stem and LFIT Anatomic V40 Femoral Head.

According to the Stryker Accolade hip stem lawsuit, plaintiff Richard C. files the lawsuit and brings forth the allegations in Pennsylvania federal court.

The Stryker Accolade hip stem lawsuit states, “[t]his is an action for damages relating to defendants’ development, testing, assembling, manufacture, packaging, labeling, preparing, distribution, marketing, supplying, and/or selling  the defective product(s) sold under the names ‘The Accolade TMZF Hip Stem’ and ‘LFIT Anatomic V40 Femoral Head.'”

The defendant, Howmedica, is headquartered and incorporated under New Jersey state law, while the parent company, Stryker Corporation, is organized and exists under the laws of the State of Michigan.

According to the Stryker Accolade hip stem lawsuit, plaintiff Richard C. was implanted with the alleged defective device but soon after began experiencing discomfort around its implantation. Follow-up diagnostic workup revealed that there was a loosening of the femoral component which revealed the result of a malfunctioned right total hip arthroplasty.

According to the Stryker Accolade hip stem lawsuit, “the Plaintiff was forced to have the device surgically removed and replaced with new components.”

The Stryker LFIT V40 is a metal femoral head that becomes inserted into the femoral hip joint during total hip replacements. The alleged purpose of the medical device is to allow higher range of motion and stability.

The metal attachment of both the Styker LFIT V40 and the Accolade TMZF Hip Stem fits into a type of lock and key within the hip joint.

The Stryker LFIT V40 femoral head then becomes attached to a Styker metal hip stem such as the Accolade TMZF Hip Stem. This hip stem is further composed of metals such as zinc, iron, titanium, and molybdenum.

Patients like plaintiff Richard C. have allegedly come to suffer extensible and severe pain from the metal-on-metal femoral head and stem.
According to the Stryker Accolade hip stem lawsuit, the metal-on-metal can cause corrosion and metal debris that can become circulated into the bloodstream, causing metallosis, or metal poisoning.

Reports of alleged corrosion and metal poisoning are only some of the alleged adverse health risks. Others include patients suffering from adverse tissue reactions, trunnion failure, and loosening and dislocation of the Stryker Hip Systems.

Accordingly, there have been several reports acknowledging that the Stryker LFIT does loosen and dislocate from the femoral joint. It allegedly causes a complication known as “taper lock failure” that requires revision surgery.

Pseudtumors are also found to grow because of inflammation and metal dissemination around the metal hip implantation.

Stryker has accordingly also recalled several LFIT Anatomic V40 chromium/cobalt heads. According to the Stryker Accolade hip stem lawsuit, “the recall cites gross trunnion failure, metal wear, adverse tissue reaction and the need for revision surgery as causes for recalling the heads.”

The Stryker Accolade Hip Stem Lawsuit is Case No. 2:17-cv-00801-CRE, in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania.