Patients continue to file legal claims because of alleged Stryker hip implant defects.

Stryker marketed its LFIT Anatomic V40 Femoral Head to be used in combination with the Accolade TMZF Hip Stem back in the mid-2000s.

The Accolade TMZF Stem is a part of a hip implant system used when patients need a total hip replacement. The stem is a single piece, made of a proprietary titanium alloy and designed to be implanted into the patient’s femur. Stryker’s marketing materials claimed the alloy was stronger and less rigid that other titanium alloys because it was made of titanium, molybdenum, zinc and iron.

Stryker claimed their tests had proven the stem showed improved wear resistance, reducing the risks of metal poisoning from metal shavings that could occur with lesser alloys.

The LFIT V40 femoral head is a modular ball-like head made of a cobalt and chromium alloy. Made to be paired with the TMZF Stem, the two parts were marketed together. Stryker claimed that when used together, the parts allowed for the patient’s maximal hip movement with resistance to dislocation.

Despite Stryker’s claims that their different metal combinations were superior, scientists have reported concerns for decades that accelerated fretting and corrosion occurs when different metals are combined. When marketing and selling their hip systems, Stryker tried to alleviate these worries by promoting the proprietary materials they used.

Still, Stryker recalled its Rejuvenate and ABG II modular hip implant systems in 2012. Those systems used the same TMZF titanium metal in the femoral stem, and the modular necks of both systems were made of chromium and cobalt. Their recalls were due to “excessive device failure due to fretting and corrosion at the taper junction where these dissimilar metals were joined.”

Reports of Stryker hip implant defects are not new, nor are the company’s claims of superior metal performance.

Stryker Hip Implant Defects Prove Parts Don’t Work Together

The metal-on-metal design of these hip implants may cause friction that results in small metal shavings. When these tiny particles fret away, the surrounding tissue can become effected and react with inflammation and fluid retention. In addition, surrounding tissue can die and metal poisoning can set into the bones and the blood stream.

Blood tests can reveal elevated serum levels of cobalt, chromium and titanium.

Permanent tissue, bone and muscle damage can occur when the Stryker hip implant defects cause complete implant failure.

Incompatible metals are now sometimes blamed for alleged Stryker hip implant defects. The chromium and cobalt femoral head and the titanium stem wear against one another, sometimes causing complete dislocation because of the erosion. In fact, some experts who have analyzed the failed hip implants say that Stryker should not have marketed the Accolade TMZF Stem with anything but ceramic heads.

Even if the metals were compatible, the head and neck simply do not fit, according to the plaintiffs in some Stryker hip implant lawsuits. They claim the metal heads are too large for the stem, making improper fit another Stryker hip implant defect.

For patients who suffer severe hip implant complications, revision surgery may be the o

If you or someone you love has undergone hip replacement surgery and suffered from Stryker hip implant defects, you could be eligible for compensation for pain and suffering, lost wages, hospitalizations, and other expenses.