Five years ago, Stryker Orthopaedics (Howmedica Osteonics Corporation) began a recall of its hip implant, the Rejuvenate Modular and ABG II modular-neck hip stem. The device led to risks of corrosion that could case pain, swelling, damage and ultimately hip replacement failure. The recall led to more than 3.500 lawsuits claiming compensation for medical expenses incurred by Stryker’s popular implants.
Further “Urgent Medical Device Recalls” of Stryker hip replacement products included the 2012 recall of its Accolade TMZF Plus Femoral Stem, 2013 recall of its Accolade II 127 Neck Angle Hip Stem, and the 2016 recall of Stryker LFIT V40 femoral heads manufactured before 2011. Many patients with problems and failures due to recalled Stryker devices have had additional hip revision surgeries to correct problems, reported nationalinjuryhelp.com. Known Stryker hip replacement problems include stem fractures, migration of metal debris, pain, noise, loss of motion and damage to surrounding tissue.
Stryker made $11.325 billion in sales in 2016. That same year, the company agreed to a $1 billion settlement to resolve many of the lawsuits that only covered plaintiffs who had undergone revision surgery. This year, Stryker announced that approximately 95 percent of eligible patients had enrolled in the settlement program.
The settlement did not halt the flow of lawsuits, as more and more patients learn of the hip replacement recall and file claims for compensation for alleged serious damages. According to topclassactions.com, “Plaintiffs claim that Stryker failed to adequately test its devices prior to entering the market, and further allege that the manufacturer failed to warn both patients and the medical community about the risks linked with the devices.”
Some of the problems reported by plaintiffs are dislocation and dissociation of the device, as well as metallosis, a complication caused by metal particles that are released when two metal components of a metal-on-metal implant rub together. The particles can kill surrounding bone and tissue.
If you or a family member has suffered complications from hip surgery that involved Stryker devices, Epperly & Follis can help. Please feel free to call us for a consultation at (888) 703-0109, or visit our website at www.epperlyfollis.com.
Craig Follis has extensive experience in litigation, negotiating and settling suits, and providing legal opinions on liability and insurance coverage. You can reach him at (888) 703-0109 or via email at cfollis@lawyersva.com.