After receiving an unexpectedly high number of complaints over complications with its Stryker LFIT hip implant, Stryker issued a recall.

Stryker has recalled previous metal hip implant devices as well. In 2012, the company recalled both its Rejuvenate and ABG II Modular hip replacement devices, following patient reports of corrosion problems.

In this latest recall, the reported Stryker LFIT hip implant complications include:

• Disassociation of femoral head from hip stem
• Fractured hip stem trunnion
• Excessive metallic debris
• Insufficient Range of Motion (ROM)
• Insufficient soft tissue tension
• Noise
• Loss of implant: bone fixation strength
• Excessive wear debris (polymeric)Implant construct with a shortened neck length

According to patients, these complications led to the “fretting” of their metal hip implants, in turn leading to metallosis (or metal poisonin).

In most cases, patients who suffer from metal hip implant problems not only suffer through initial side effects, but may also be forced to go through additional surgery.

According to a 2012 study published in Orthopedics, 95 percent of patients who suffered from failed metal-on-metal hip implant devices had to go through revision surgery within three years of initial implant.

Orthopedic surgeons who were consultants for Stryker wrote in June 2014 about three patients they knew who had experienced dissociation of the Stryker LFIT hip implant.

The surgeons published a paper about the experiences, noting the potential of increased fretting, crevice corrosion, and metal ion generation linked with patients using Stryker Accolade implants.

The surgeons noted in their paper, however, that they were not expecting patients to suffer from spontaneous dissociation of the hip implant.

One patient who had been implanted with a Stryker metal hip implant device showed no visible sign of complications for several years after implantation. After seven years, however, the patient began experiencing pain in his groin as well as grinding of his hip for a couple of weeks before the device’s dissociation.

Another patient’s device lasted for nearly seven years before developing groin pain, which grew worse when he walked. During hip implant removal surgery, the surgeon noted excessive levels of metal in the patient’s bloodstream, as well as metal wear, inflammatory disease, and other irregularities.

A third patient implanted with a Stryker device suffered no side effects for seven years, and then suffered spontaneous dissociation.

All three of these patients, the surgeons report, suffered from similar rapid onset of symptoms and device dissociation.

Their devices all had similar tapered femoral parts, and were all placed with a high-offset, long-angle neck.

The surgeons suspect that these device similarities could have contributed to the failure of the devices.

Stryker LFIT Hip Implant Lawsuits

If you or someone you love was implanted with a Stryker LFIT hip implant and have suffered from these or other side effects, you may be able to file a Stryker LFIT hip implant class action lawsuit.

Filing a lawsuit can result in financial compensation that can help with medical expenses and other financial losses felt as a result of these injuries.