Stryker has issued a recall of its LFIT metal hip implants after receiving a substantial number of complaints noting serious complications.

The Stryker recall of hip implant devices applies to implants containing Stryker LFIT Cobalt/Chromium V40 Femoral Heads.

According to the Stryker recall of hip implant devices, patients have reportedly suffered from a number of serious complications. The side effects reported 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

Patients who suffer from these side effects may in many cases also be forced to undergo additional surgery to alleviate problems.

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

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.

All three of the patients involved in the study, the surgeons reported, suffered from similar rapid onset of symptoms and device dissociation. Their metal hip implants 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. These devices each lasted for several years prior to leading to a variety of serious complications.

Previous Stryker Hip Implant Recalls

Stryker has recalled previous metal hip implant devices as well. In 2012, the company issued a Stryker recall of both its Rejuvenate and ABG II Modular hip implants. This 2012 recall followed reports from patients of serious corrosion problems and metallosis.

According to patients, the corrosion of their hip implants led to the “fretting” of their metal hip implants, in turn leading to metallosis, or metal poisoning, as metal shavings entered their bloodstream.

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 prior to the Stryker recall of hip implant devices, you may be able to file an individual lawsuit or join a class action lawsuit.

Filing a lawsuit after the Stryker recall of hip implant devices can result in significant financial compensation that can help with medical expenses and other financial losses felt as a result of these injuries.