Lawsuit Says Stryker Hip Complications Required Revision Surgery

It’s painful (and costly) enough to get a hip replacement—but what if you had to have revision surgery to replace a defective hip implant? Generally speaking, revisions to hip implants take more healing time than the original implant surgery. Marlene Maloney, an Illinois woman, has filed a hip revision lawsuit against Stryker division Howmedica Osteonics Corp., alleging she was forced to undergo hip revision surgery to repair the damage from an allegedly defective Stryker hip implant system.

In March 2012, Maloney was implanted with the Stryker Rejuvenate System, which was approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) in 2008 and became available in February 2009. The device features a chromium-cobalt neck and a titanium stem. It was supposed to be a safer option than traditional metal on metal him implants, even though it had metal on metal components. According to the hip implant lawsuit, Stryker claimed that “laboratory testing demonstrates the compatibility of these materials without fretting and corrosion. Defendants also claim that this metal alloy has been tested and proven by Defendants to resist the effects of corrosion and fretting.”

The Stryker hip lawsuit states that this combination of elements has been known to cause fretting since the 1980s. In April 2012, Stryker released an Urgent Field Safety Notice to U.S. surgeons and hospitals, acknowledging that it “had received reports of device failure due to heavy metal contamination. The Urgent Field Safety Notice specifically referred to failures at the taper neck junction between the neck and stem due to corrosion and fretting.”

Maloney says that she began “experiencing significant pain and stiffness” following her hip replacement surgery. In October 2012, she allegedly “underwent a diagnostic workup which revealed high levels of metal ions including a significantly high level of cobalt. Plaintiff’s physician also found a large fluid collection in her right hip with pseudotumor formation. Plaintiff was diagnosed with mechanically assisted crevice corrosion with severe adverse local soft tissue reaction.”

Metal poisoning can be fatal, and Maloney’s Stryker hip complications were severe. She underwent revision surgery to remove the Stryker hip implant on Jan. 10, 2013. According to the hip replacement lawsuit, Maloney “has suffered, and continues to suffer, both injuries and damages including, but not limited to, past, present and future physical and mental pain and suffering; and past, present and future medical, hospital, rehabilitative and pharmaceutical expenses; economic loss, and other related damages.”

Maloney alleges in the hip replacement lawsuit that the hip replacement complications she experienced were preventable, but the manufacturer “failed to adequately design and manufacture the Rejuvenate to ensure that it would not corrode, erode, deteriorate, fret, and cause metal toxicity in patients.” She is suing for common law negligence, negligence per se, failure to warn, design defect, manufacturing defect, negligent misrepresentations, and breach of warranty. She is seeking compensation for actual damages, past and future treatment, physical/mental anguish and suffering, punitive damages, court costs and attorney fees are being sought.

The Stryker hip implant lawsuit is Marlene Maloney v. Howmedica Osteonics Corp., et al., Case No. 0:13-cv-02595-DWF-FLN, in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois, Peoria Division. The Stryker hip implant MDL is In re: Stryker Rejuvenate and ABG II Hip Implant Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2441, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota.

Help for Hip Replacement Injury Victims

If you or a loved received a metal on metal hip implant after January 1, 2009, and went to experience hip replacement complications such as dislocated hip, metal poisoning, cancer, tissue death, pain or other injury, there’s still time to take legal action against the device manufacturer. These companies have already paid out millions of dollars to victims. Don’t delay – see if you qualify to pursue compensation to cover your medical bills, pain and suffering and other damages at the Metal on Metal Hip Replacement Class Action Lawsuit Investigation.