First Stryker Hip Implant Lawsuit Filed After Recall

First Stryker Hip Implant Lawsuit Filed After Recall

By Andrea Gressman

Stryker Orthopedics issued a July 2012 recall for two of its replacement hip implants, the Rejuvenate Modular and ABG II. Now, the first Stryker hip implant lawsuit has been filed since that recall, alleging that the company was aware that its metal hip implants caused problems but that it did nothing to inform patients about the true risks they faced when seeking a hip replacement.

Stryker Hip Implant Lawsuit Details

This first Stryker hip implant lawsuit was filed on August 7, 2012 by Plaintiff Dianne Pingel, who claims she experienced multiple complications as a result of receiving a Stryker hip implant in October 2011. The October implant was her second metal hip implant from Stryker, but the first did not cause her any problems. The second Stryker hip implant, however, began to irritate her almost immediately.

According to the Stryker metal hip implant lawsuit, Pingel complained to her doctor about tenderness around the surgical site, but in the first round of tests they didn’t discover the source of the problem. Later testing, performed after the pain had continued for some time, revealed that fluid had built up around the site of the Stryker hip implant and there was a growth. Pingel’s doctor recommended follow-up surgery, which revealed that the metal-on-metal hip implant had given her metal poisoning and was killing the surrounding tissue and bone tissue. Two additional revision surgeries were required to deal with the situation and subsequent complications, which included two femur fractures and a hip dislocation, Pingel claims in the metal hip implant lawsuit.

Psuedotumors, metal poisoning (metallosis), tissue necrosis, bony tissue necrosis, bone fractures and hip dislocation are all common side effects of a failed metal-on-metal hip implant.

In her Stryker hip recall lawsuit, Pingel alleges that even though the metal hip implants weren’t recalled until a month after she had her surgery, the company was aware of the issues and had a duty to warn patients. As a result, she charges them with negligence over their failure to warn and warranty violations over the failure of the metal-on-metal hip implant. Financial damages are being sought in addition to compensation for the costs of her multiple revision surgeries.

Stryker Metal Hip Implant Background

The original approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for Stryker’s Rejuvenate Modular and ABG II hip implants came through in September 2007, and the metal-on-metal hip implants came onto the market in June 2008. However, by July 2012, complaints about the Stryker hip implants had risen to the point that a voluntary Stryker hip implant recall was issued.

Patients complained that the metal hip implants didn’t live up to their promises and caused many different medical problems. The biggest complaints were that the Stryker hip implants didn’t hold up in the body – instead, they corroded and broke down, poisoning the surrounding area and damaging bones, muscles, tissue and nerves. Many patients required revision surgery and some reported heavy metal poisoning.

Following the voluntary Stryker recall in July, the first Stryker hip implant lawsuit was filed in the Bergen County Superior Court on August 7, 2012 by Pingel against defendant Howmedica Osteonics Corp. Pingel is seeking compensatory, punitive and other damages for claims of negligence, failure to warn, defective manufacturing, and breach of express and implied warranties.

If you or someone you love has also experienced issues with a Stryker hip implant, don’t stay silent. Visit the Metal-on-Metal Hip Implant Class Action Lawsuit Investigation and reach out to a Stryker hip implant attorneys to find out your rights as a patient and what you should do now that the product has been recalled.