A man has filed a Stryker hip system lawsuit after he had to undergo explantation of the LFIT V40 femoral head.

Plaintiff Charles R. said he received a Stryker hip replacement in his right hip in November 2008. The surgery included the implantation of a Stryker LFIT Anatomic CoCr V40 femoral head and the Stryker Accolade TMZF femoral stem.

Charles allegedly had the LFIT V40 femoral head removed in September 2017 after purportedly suffering severe injuries from the components of the Stryker hip system. 

His lawsuit joins an MDL regarding allegedly defective Stryker LFIT V40 femoral heads.

Allegations of Stryker Hip System Defects

The metal-on-metal Stryker hip system implanted in Charles included a cobalt and chromium LFIT V40 femoral head. The Accolade TMZF femoral stem was made of a proprietary alloy that Stryker advertised as a stronger stem compared to femoral stems made of other metal alloys.

Stryker marketed the LFIT V40 femoral head to be used with the Accolade TMZF femoral stem, advocating that when the two were mated, the patient would experience maximum hip mobility with a decreased chance of dislocation.

Unfortunately, patients such as Charles purportedly experienced a much different outcome.

The metal-on-metal system may cause friction between the metals, resulting in small particles of metal to shave away. These metal shavings may settle into the tissue where they induced inflammation and fluid retention. Affected tissue eventually dies.

The metal fragments also shed metal ions, which can cause metal poisoning as the toxins enter the bones and bloodstream. Patients might have increasingly higher levels of metal poisoning as their Stryker hip system corrodes, but not even be aware of it. A blood test can tell whether the patient is experiencing metal poisoning, an indication of corroding system components.

According to the Stryker hip system lawsuit, “In the most extreme circumstances, corrosion fueled by motion and accompanied by massive metal loss can result in the femoral head falling off the femoral stem, a phenomenon described in the medical literature as catastrophic dissociation.”

The July 2012 issue of a medical journal, Orthopedics, published a statistic that 95 percent of patients with metal-on-metal hip systems would need revision surgery within three years due to failed or corroded components.

Among the problems that could be experienced due to a failed Stryker hip system are:

• Impaired mobility
• Chronic pain
• Inflammatory response
• Local tissue reaction, swelling
• Dislocation
• Instability of the joint
• Implant loosening
• Periprosthetic fracture (broken bone around the implant)

“Frequent findings during revision surgery are the presence of turbid, milky fluid collection, large pseudotumor formation, discolored or friable soft tissue and bone, bone and soft tissue necrosis (death), and detachment or tearing of muscle,” claims the Stryker hip system MDL.

The Stryker Hip System Lawsuit is Case No. 1:17-md-02768-IT and is part of the Stryker LFIT MDL, In re: Stryker LFIT V40 Femoral Head Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2768,  in the U.S. District Court, District of Massachusetts.