Stryker LFIT V40 Femoral Head Artificial Hip Recall

On August 29, 2016, Stryker Howmedica Osteonics Corp. informed the FDA that it was voluntarily recalling its LFIT Anatomic V40 femoral head hip implant. Stryker told the FDA that it was issuing the recall of these products manufactured prior to March 2011 due to incidence of patient harm that had been reported to the company. After further communications with Stryker, the FDA announced the recall on November 9, 2016. The FDA’s recall notice cites “incidence of harm secondary to taper lock failure” as Stryker’s reason for recall. Taper lock failure occurs when the trunnion (pivot) wears away due to the metal-on-metal contact, causing dissociation from the femoral hip stem.

Problems with the Stryker LFIT V40 Femoral Head

The LFIT V40 femoral head, which is made of cobalt and chromium, is used by surgeons to replace the “ball” part of the hip joint, which is the femoral head. The ball fits into the hip socket in normal hip anatomy. When a patient undergoes a hip replacement surgery, both the ball and socket are typically replaced with artificial components, creating a new hip implant system.

Some systems have a complete femoral head and stem, meaning it is all made from the same material. The Stryker LFIT V40 femoral head, however, was designed to be used with a number of femoral stems. When the LFIT V40 is paired with femoral stems made from different alloys or metals, serious complications can arise due to corrosion between the components.

Patients implanted with the LFIT V40 experience premature failure of the implant requiring revision surgery as well as a host of problems caused by the metal-on-metal corrosion. These complications include hip dislocation due to excessive wear, metal poisoning, severe pain, joint instability and adverse tissue reaction in the areas surrounding the hip implant.

This is not the first time that metal-on-metal hip implants have caused problems. SUGARMAN’s attorneys previously represented a significant amount of patients who were injured by other metal-on-metal hip implants, including the Stryker Rejuvenate and ABG II hip implants, and the DePuy ASR XL and ASR systems.

Consolidated Stryker LFIT V40 Cases in Massachusetts

Thankfully, patients implanted with this defective and recalled component may have legal recourse. On April 5, 2017, the United States Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation created a MDL docket in the District of Massachusetts (Boston) for lawsuits brought on behalf of patients injured by the Stryker LFIT V40 femoral heads. This consolidates the dozens of cases already filed by patients into one centralized litigation for the purpose of discovery and pretrial proceedings. Going forward, other patients harmed by this defective product may file their cases as part of the MDL

SUGARMAN attorneys have successfully represented dozens of clients injured by similar metal-on-metal hip implants and have extensive experience investigating and litigating cases involving defective medical devices and products.

Please continue to follow our blog and website for further details and developments regarding this Stryker LFIT V40 femoral head recall and the lawsuits brought by injured patients.

If you have any questions regarding a Stryker LFIT V40 femoral head implant, please contact SUGARMAN principals Benjamin Zimmermann or David McCormack at 617-542-1000. You may also send us an email at info@sugarman.com.