Stryker Corporation, one of the leading manufacturers of metal hip implant components, has received thousands of complaints from both doctors and patients that their devices are defective and prone to high rates of failure.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, over 300,000 Americans undergo total hip replacement surgery every year. Hip replacement surgery can help patients regain lost mobility, but they can also lead to severe complications and painful, expensive revision surgery. The risk of complications is greater when the surgery is performed using a defective metal hip implant device.
Recently, Stryker issued a safety alert to surgeons warning that their LFit V40 femoral head hip implant components may cause serious injuries. The LFit V40 femoral head is a component used in total hip replacement surgeries.
Government oversight agencies in both Canada and Australia have issued major safety announcements to doctors and patients about the high rate of failure among LFit V40 Femoral Head components. The Canadian government went as far as to issue an official recall of these components, sighting “higher than expected complaints of…failure.”
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has been largely silent about LFit V40 Femoral Head components, despite the fact that many patients are at serious risk.
This is not the first time that metal hip implant devices manufactured by Stryker have caused serious health issues among patients. In 2012, the FDA issued a recall notice of both the Stryker Rejuvenate and ABG II model hip implants. These defective hip implants caused serious injuries and revision surgeries for thousands of patients.
To date, Stryker Corporation has paid out over $1 Billion in settlement payments to patients that were harmed by Rejuvenate or ABG II Metal Hip Implant devices.
Stryker marketed metal hip replacement devices like the Rejuvenate and LFit V40 femoral heads by promising increased durability and improved recovery times compared to hip implant devices made from other materials like ceramic or plastic. Unfortunately, once these defective hip components are implanted in patients, the joint where the metal “head” and “stem” meet can start to corrode. This can release harmful metal particles into the tissue and bloodstream surrounding the joint.
Patients that received a defective Stryker metal hip implant can experience painful and dangerous complications, including:
- Osteolysis (bone dissolution)
- Synovitis (inflammation of the synovial membrane)
- Pseudo-tumors
- Fluid in the joint
- Tissue and bone necrosis
- Metal poisoning in the blood
- Revision surgery
If you or a loved one is experiencing any adverse reactions from Hip Replacement Surgery or if you have required painful Revision Hip Surgery, Henson Fuerst may be able to help. Call us today at 919-781-1107 or fill out a free consultation form online.
When you call, one of our experienced North Carolina Defective Product attorneys will speak with you for FREE. We will investigate every detail of your situation at no cost to you and fight hard to protect your rights.
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