Stryker Accolade Hip and LVIT V40 Head are linked to early device failure

Defects in a Stryker Accolade metal hip and LVIT V40 head are linked to early device failure, according to allegations in a recent Texas Stryker Hip Failure lawsuit. Stryker Orthopedics is under fire and exposed to many metal hip implant failure lawsuits after premature failure of their metal hip devices were found in national registries and in medical studies.

Stryker Premature Hip Failure

Howmedica Osteonics Corp., and its subsidiary Stryker Orthopaedics, announced a Stryker LFit V40 hip recall in 2016 involving certain large-diameter femoral heads sold before 2011.

In the recall notice, Stryker admitted that a higher-then-expected number of patients were developing early hip implant failure with trunnion failure, metal wear, adverse tissue reactions and other serious complications.

Stryker Metal Hip Recalled

Stryker Orthopedics makes the popular LFit Anatomic CoCr (cobalt and chromium) V40 femoral head line of hip implants. This highly versatile metal head is an interchangeable “ball” component for total hip replacements that can be connected to several Stryker metal hip stems, including the Accolade TMZF, Accolade 2, Meridian, and Citation models.

Stryker recalled over 42,500 metal hip implants because a metal part that connects the hip to the femur can develop severe metal corrosion, loosen, and dislocate, a side effect known as “taper lock failure” that always needs painful revision surgery.

 

What is Taper Lock Failure?

The LFIT V40 is designed to lock onto a femoral hip stem with a metal part called a trunnion. This trunnion interfaces with a metal-on-metal connection that may corrode and snap within a few years, causing catastrophic hip failure or spontaneous hip dislocation.

What is Metal Corrosion?

Since the metal hip implants are made from dissimilar metal alloys, metal corrosion like rust, could be a devastating problem with metal hip implants. Metal debris in the hip joint causes pain, local inflammation leading to soft-tissue growths called pseudotumors, and get into the bloodstream causing metallosis or metal poisoning with cobalt and chromium.

Texas Stryker Hip Failure Lawsuit

Betty Sadler from Texas, filed a personal injury and product liability lawsuit blaming the recalled Stryker Accolade and LFit v40 hip components for severe metal blood poisoning and pseudotumors. The injuries were so serious that she needed a revision surgery shortly after her original hip replacement.

According to Sadler, she underwent a total hip replacement in 2008, with a Stryker Accolade TMZF Plus femoral stem and LFit V40 femoral head for left hip degenerative disease. Sadler, seven years after her total hip replacement developed severe hip pain and a MRI x-ray found a hip pseudotumor.

Sadler also developed metallosis caused by hip device breakdown, significant trunnionosis and hip bone loss. Her doctors replaced the cobalt chrome head of the LFit V40 with a ceramic head.

Stryker ABG and Rejuvenate Lawsuits

Stryker paid over $1 billion in settlements to more than 6,000 patients who were injured by another one of their popular metal hip implant that corroded and failed, the recalled ABG II and Rejuvenate line of hip devices. The settlement provided base payouts of $300,000 per hip replacement that required revision surgery.

Injured by a failed Stryker Metal Hip?

If you think you may have a Stryker V40 Head or a Stryker Accolade TMZF stem and are experiencing pain caused by metal corrosion or have suffered a spontaneous dissociation requiring full revision and emergency care, please call Dr Shezad Malik Law Firm at 214-390-3189.