A Washington man recently came forward with a new lawsuit against Stryker, alleging that he suffered from serious metallosis complications as a result of a defective Stryker hip replacement.

The plaintiff, Domingo P., alleges he was implanted with a Stryker hip replacement in his left hip on March 23, 2005, and his right hip on February 13, 2012. The specific Stryker hip replacement device used in both cases included the LFIT Anatomic CoCr V40 femoral head and the Accolade TMZF femoral stem.

However, sometime after the Stryker hip replacements, Domingo claims he began experiencing severe complications, including metallosis from excessive levels of cobalt and chromium in his bloodstream. Eventually, he says, these injuries led to revision surgeries used to explant both of the Stryker hip replacement devices on April 7, 2014, and June 2, 2014, respectively.

According to the Stryker hip replacement lawsuit, Domingo suffered from injury as well as economic loss because of defective devices. He filed his Stryker hip replacement lawsuit on May 8, 2018, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts. The lawsuit was filed on multiple counts, including negligence, defective design, failure to warn, breach of express and implied warranties, negligent misrepresentation, and several others.

Domingo is not the first to report severe complications like metallosis after undergoing a Stryker hip replacement. If you or someone you love has suffered from Stryker hip replacement side effects, you may be able to file a lawsuit.

The Stryker Hip Implant Recall

After receiving a slew of complaints about the V40 femoral head component included in some of its hip implant devices, Stryker issued a recall of the component. The recall was issued in November 2016, affecting more than 42,000 total devices nationwide and internationally.

According to the FDA’s recall announcement, Stryker’s reason for recalling the device was “incidence of harm secondary to taper lock failure” in the recalled LFIT V40 femoral head components.

The Stryker recall came after reports of side effects were associated with Stryker’s V40 femoral head component, including metallosis, a kind of metal poisoning that can occur when the metals rub together, releasing metal particles that move into the bloodstream. Excessive levels of metals can lead to further complications.

On top of device failure, Stryker hip implants have also been linked with dislocation and dissociation of the device. In many cases, serious side effects like V40 femoral head failure or metallosis can require revision surgery to fix, replacing the defective implant. However, any additional surgery brings with it its own risks of complications, infection, and further medical expenses.

Filing a Stryker Hip Replacement Lawsuit

If you or someone you love was implanted with a metal hip implant and has since experienced device failure or other side effects, you may be able to file a Stryker hip replacement lawsuit. While filing a lawsuit cannot take away the pain and suffering caused by hip implant failure, it can help to alleviate the financial burden of medical expenses and lost wages from these injuries.

The Stryker Hip Replacement Lawsuit is Case No. 1:18-cv-10917-IT, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts.