Depuy and Stryker Hip Lawsuit Guidelines
Hip replacement lawsuits are currently being filed against Stryker Orthopaedics and DePuy Synthes after many victims suffered long-lasting injuries and needed revision surgeries. Plaintiffs allege that their devices were negligently tested before seeking clearance, and accuse manufacturers of misleading the public since the implants were falsely advertised as more durable than their competitors.
Hip replacement implants manufactured by both those companies were approved through the FDA’s 510(k) fast-track program. According to the terms of the recall, the companies claimed that patients would be reimbursed for the medical costs required to receive a new implant. However, many victims suffered permanent damage even after revision surgery and needed to pay substantial medical bills for the rest of their lives.
If a hip replacement system corroded inside your body, you may discuss your legal options with our expert lawyers and receive a free case review now.
Device Type: Artificial Hip
Injury: Corrosion, fretting, multiple revision surgeries
Manufacturer: Depuy, Stryker
Total Cases: 12,000
Settlement Amounts: up to $8 million
Bellwether Trial Start Date:
See If You Qualify
Stryker Corp. started paying the first round of injury lawsuit settlement
After the Stryker and DePuy Hip replacement systems’ recall in 2010 and 2012, many patients filed a lawsuit because the devices corroded inside their bodies. Stryker Corp. started settling the first four lawsuits back in 2013, by spending over $510 million in related costs. On November 03, 2014, agreed to pay $1.4 billion to settle thousands of other litigations in New Jersey’s Bergen County Superior Court. To date, many more cases have been filed in court states across the country, and this settlement only includes all claimants who had revision surgery before November 2014. DePuy, a Johnson & Johnson’s subsidiary, decided to settle 7,500 of the over 12,000 litigations filed by paying a $2.5 billion settlement in 2013. In March 2015, the company paid additional $502 million to five claimants who suffered severe damage after their Pinnacle Ultramet implant broke prematurely.
Some individual litigations were awarded up to $8.3 million, such as Loren Kransky, who received this hefty sum of money after the jury verdict found J&J liable for all the damage he had to endure. Future litigations can be negotiated for all other plaintiffs through the next few years, so you’re still in time to file a dispute and be eligible for a reward. If you or your loved ones suffered any injury caused by the adverse reactions of these devices, you might seek monetary compensation by filing a personal injury claim.
The Risks associated with hip Replacement surgery
The ABG II Modular-Neck Hip Stems and Stryker Rejuvenate and are two medical devices used to replace a patient’s hip joint with a prosthetic implant. Originally ideated to facilitate mobility in younger and more physically active patients, the ASR Hip Resurfacing System, ASR XL Acetabular System and Pinnacle total hip replacement systems were globally marketed as the most advanced artificial implants available on the market.
Although the devices were built to last longer than older prosthetic implants, many patients experienced serious adverse reactions after their hip implant fragmented and broke. Natural body movement did, in fact, produce an unexpected mechanical stress on the metal parts, leading to corrosion, fretting and wearing. Our lawyers allege that the debris loosened from the defective devices was released into the bloodstream, causing heavy metal poisoning and metallosis. According to court documents, many patients needed additional surgery such as bone reconstruction after the hip implant was removed and substituted.
Friction and wearing of prosthetic implant may also cause corrosion and fretting, releasing metal ions into the space around the joint. These substances may flare up local toxic reactions causing bone tissue to die, so even if the patient is implanted with a new prosthesis later, susceptibility to constant dislocation and fractures will be higher. Exposure to metal ions may also cause harmful health effects by negatively interacting with the immune system causing either stimulation of immune cell activity or immunosuppression. This may lead to swelling, constant pain and chronic inflammation that may eventually loosen the joint replacements.
Chromium and cobalt poisoning are also linked with thyroid dysfunction, hearing and vision loss, and cardiovascular disorders. Our attorneys found that plaintiffs suffering from metal hypersensitivity have an increased risk of allergic reactions and additional complications. According to research published in the journal Orthopedics, at least 13 percent of patients who were implanted with DePuy ASR XL hip replacements, needed revision surgery within five years.
Stryker hip recalled after the FDA warnings
In just a few years, patients and healthcare providers reported to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) hundreds of serious adverse reactions linked to the use of malfunctioning Stryker hip replacements. The regulatory agency reacted by sending numerous warning letters to the manufacturer, accusing the company of fraudulent marketing practices and negligent production of defective devices. Several other joint replacement implants marketed by Stryker such as the rHead Lateral Stem elbow replacement, the EIUS Unicompartmental Knee Systems, and the Accolade TMZF Hip stem showed similar issues. On July 6, 2012, the company opted to recall the ABG II and Rejuvenate modular-neck stems voluntarily.
Stryker Hip Removal Symptoms
Metallosis | Metal sensitivity (hypersensitivity) | Chromium and cobalt poisoning | Swelling and inflammation| Abnormal accumulation of fluids | Pseudo-tumors | Joint dislocation | Implant loosening | Extreme pain Immobility | Bone fractures | Recurring infections || Problems in the nervous system |Confusion and Fatigue|| Gastrointestinal problems
The Latest Stryker Recall: the LFIT Anatomic Heads Lawsuit
On August 2016, Stryker warned orthopedic surgeons and consumers that another one of its products could be defective: the LFIT Anatomic CoCr V40 Femoral Heads. Shortly after the company voluntarily sent a letter where it explained that device was associated with a “higher than expected” incidence of taper lock failure, Health Canada issued an immediate product recall of all the heads manufactured prior to 2011. The artificial femoral head replaces the patient’s natural one and should fit directly on the hip bone itself to form a new hip joint. However, this device is locked into the femur (thigh bone) itself through a taper lock, and this portion is the one that is corroding and breaking at an alarming rate. If the joint replacement loosens or fractures, additional surgery may be required to replace it, and the patient is at risk for serious complications such as necrosis of surrounding tissues and cobalt or chromium toxicity.
