Stryker V40 femoral heads used as part of Stryker’s metal hip implant system are under voluntary recall after numerous complaints.

The cobalt/chromium Stryker V40 femoral heads are the subject of an “Urgent Medical Device Recall Notification” letter to surgeons on Aug. 29, 2016 regarding the parts made before 2011.

The recalled femoral head has been used in conjunction with a variety of Stryker hip implant systems, but was marketed in conjunction with the Accolade TMZF stem.

That stem was made with a proprietary titanium alloy that was advertised as being stronger and more pliable than competing parts made of similar alloys.

The Stryker V40 femoral head is a modular ball made of a cobalt and chromium alloy. Stryker claimed that when used together, the V40 head and the TMZF stem allowed superior hip mobility with a lowered risk of dislocation. In fact, Stryker should not have marketed the Accolade TMZF Stem with anything but ceramic heads, according to doctors who have examined the failed hip implant systems.

Stryker V40 femoral heads were recalled because the metal-on-metal design can shed metal into the surrounding tissue. Small metal particles fret away and settle into the surrounding tissue, which can react by becoming inflamed and retaining fluid in an attempt to rid the body of the metal particles. Over time, affected tissue dies and metal poisoning enters the bones and the blood stream.

Patients who have received a hip implant that includes the Stryker V40 femoral heads can have a simple blood test to see if they have elevated levels of metals in their blood, which would indicate metallosis and device corrosion. Patients might be experiencing increasingly toxic levels of cobalt and chromium in their blood streams as their metal hip implants  corrode, without being aware of it.

Severe issues can result in the need for hip revision surgery. The journal Orthopedics published a study in July 2012 that indicated 95 percent of patients who needed revision surgery needed it within three years because of failed metal-on-metal hip implant systems.

Symptoms of problems with the Stryker V40 femoral heads include:

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

Stryker V40 Femoral Heads Add to Company’s Woes

Stryker had virtually the same problems with its earlier metal-on-metal hip implant systems, the Rejuvenate and the ABG II systems, which were recalled in 2012.

The same TMZF titanium metal was used in the femoral stem, and the modular necks of both systems were made of chromium and cobalt. Fretting and corrosion at the taper junction where the different metals were scraping against each other led to recalls of both the Rejuvenate and the ABG II.

If you or someone you love has suffered because of a hip implant failure that included a Stryker V40 femoral head, you could be eligible for compensation through legal representation.