Massachusetts Woman Files Stryker Hip Implant Lawsuit

A Massachusetts woman filed a metal-on-metal hip replacement lawsuit against Stryker Orthopaedics in federal court for selling The Rejuvenate System, which they claim is a defective product.

The Stryker hip lawsuit was filed in February of this year by Sandra Viens and her husband Lawrence Viens in the U.S. District Court in the Northern District of California due to significant pain and discomfort she experienced in both hips where the Rejuvenate metal-on-metal hip replacement system was installed.

As a result of the problems Viens was experiencing from the Stryker Rejuvenate hip implant, she will have to have revision surgeries in both hips.

The Stryker Rejuvenate Lawsuit

According to court documents, Viens “has suffered and continues to suffer severe and permanent injuries and damages, including . . .  physical pain and suffering . . . and future medical, hospital, rehabilitative and pharmaceutical [costs], and other related damages.”

Stryker began selling its Rejuvenate Hip Replacement System in October 2010 after it was approved for sale by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration in 2008. The Rejuvenate hip implant is made with a chrome cobalt neck that is inserted into titanium stem. It is designed to give doctors flexibility in order to personalize the hip implant for each patient.

However, Stryker issued a voluntary recall of both the Rejuvenate and ABG II hip replacement systems in 2012. Stryker sent out an Urgent Field Safe Native to doctors and hospitals across the country due to reports of heavy metal poisoning that Stryker Rejuvenate hip patients were experiencing as well as corrosion and fretting between the neck and the stem.

The symptoms of meal poisoning described in the Urgent Field Safety Notice are the same symptoms that Viens claims she experienced after having the Rejuvenate hip implanted, including tissue necrosis (also known as tissue death), metallosis (a build-up of metal in the soft tissue), adverse soft tissue reaction, and pseudo-tumor formation.

Viens says in the lawsuit that the Stryker hip implants she had contained a manufacturing defect that resulted in fretting and corrosion, and that’s why she experienced the problems she had. Viens further claims in the lawsuit that that Stryker knew about these defects.

Stryker Hid Hip Implant Problems

The Stryker metal-on-metal hip replacement lawsuit claims that Stryker did not report adverse events in a timely manner, did not do investigations and analyses in a timely manner, did not report all the available information about Rejuvenate failures, did not give the FDA all the necessary information available about problems with the hip implant system as well as an increase in unexpected reports.

Viens still suffers from side effects from the Stryker Rejuvenate hip implant, including extreme pain, discomfort, the inability to walk and now she has to undergo revision surgery to have the problems corrected.

As a result, Viens has had to miss work and has lost a lot of wages due to missed work.

Viens claims that Stryker either knew or should have known of the risks associated with the Rejuvenate System.

Plaintiff’s Husband Joins the Lawsuit

Viens’ husband Lawrence is included in this lawsuit because he claims he suffered loss of consortium, meaning that the pain and discomfort his wife experienced resulted in “loss of support, service, love, companionship, affection, society and intimate relations” with her.

They are suing Stryker for general and economic damages, past and future loss of consortium, attorney fees, punitive damages as well as any other damages the court deems necessary.

If you or someone you know has suffered from complications due to your Stryker hip replacement surgery, legal options are available to you. Learn more and get a free consultation regarding a claim’s eligibility at the Stryker Metal Hip Implant Recall Class Action Lawsuit Investigation.