Plaintiffs in a hip implant litigation claim that the Stryker LFIT femoral heads are defective and put them at risk of complications and sometimes removal of the device entirely.

The Stryker lawsuits consolidated in the multidistrict litigatoin, or MDL, are all based on similar claims that the Stryker LFIT femoral heads are defective and that patients unknowingly received these dangerous devices without appropriate warning from the manufacturer.

The plaintiffs all have individual claims against the maker of the Stryker LFIT femoral heads, but share many concerns about how the device impacted their lives. Many of them allege physical impairment, loss of capacity for the enjoyment of life, medical expenses, lost earnings, aggravation of pre-existing conditions, and anguish.

Stryker LFIT Femoral Heads

The first iteration of the Stryker LFIT femoral heads first came on the market after receiving FDA approval in April 2001. The devices were approved under the FDA’s 510(k) program, meaning that the manufacturers did not have to go through the clinical studies required for traditional FDA approval.

Unfortunately, after the Stryker LFIT femoral heads became widely used by surgeons in surgeries for the purpose of hip replacement, many patients began to report problems. One of the most troubling issues with the Stryker LFIT femoral heads is that metallic debris and corrosion can lead to internal complication for the patient such as tissue necrosis and adverse local tissue reaction.

In 2016, the makers of the Stryker LFIT femoral heads issued an urgent medical device recall notification because of implant failures reported by those patients who had received the device. Certain lots of the Stryker LFIT femoral heads were impacted by that recall.

Some of the side effects reported by patients in relation to the Stryker LFIT femoral heads included corrosion, release of metal ions into the bloodstream, disability, tissue destruction, development of fluid collection, metal wear debris and associated pain, and revision surgery.

Patients who initiate Stryker LFIT femoral heads lawsuits allege that the maker should have done more to identify and publicize these problems to the public. Patients and doctors who don’t have the full picture of the issues might not be able to make informed decisions about how to proceed and whether or not the benefits of the device outweigh the risks.

Many of those patients filing Stryker LFIT lawsuits have had to undergo revision surgery. They allege one common factor for most of those cases — the discovery of a milky and turbid fluid collection, discolored tissue and bone near the site of the implantation, soft tissue necrosis, and large pseudotumor formation.

Patients who experience side effects because of a medical device are urged to share their concerns with their doctor as soon as possible. Often, a recall notification is not initiated until numerous people have filed complaints or lawsuits associated with alleged defects.

Defects about which the manufacturer should have known or failed to disclose can lead to legal action against the makers of the device.

The Stryker LFIT Femoral Heads Lawsuit is Case No. 1:17-md-02768-IT filed in the United States District Court, District of Massachusetts.