A metal-on-metal hip implant lawsuit was filed against Stryker Corporation by an Illinois man who claims that the hip replacement product led him to develop metallosis and other serious injuries.

Plaintiff Christopher Duncan is suing Stryker for the injuries he allegedly sustained from their Rejuvenate hip modular system.

On Jan. 17, 2011, Duncan underwent total left hip replacement surgery to have the Rejuvenate system implanted into his body, according to the Stryker hip implant lawsuit. Duncan claims that he had chosen the Rejuvenate system because the metal-on-metal hip module could be made to fit specifically fit to his frame.

However, it was not long after the implantation that the plaintiff started experiencing negative side effects, and had to undergo a diagnostic examination, according to the metal-on-metal hip implant lawsuit.

The results of the test indicated that the cobalt levels in his blood were significantly higher than normal, but he only recommended that the device needed to be observed rather than removed.  According to the hip implant lawsuit, the condition did not get better, and the elevated metal levels began to rise until Duncan developed complete metallosis, or the poisoning of the blood through elevated metal levels.

On Sept. 7, 2012, Duncan was first informed by his physician that the product had been recalled, for the very problems he had suffered, according to the Stryker hip recall lawsuit. Subsequently, he had the device removed through surgery, and still experiences severe physical pain. It has also affected his ability to earn adequate wages, and he has incurred severe medical costs as well.

According to the hip implant lawsuit, at the time Duncan first chose to have the Rejuvenate hip system implanted, he had chosen it based on the false impressions made by the defendant’s advertisements. He was not warned by the defendant of any possible hip implant side effects he may have suffered, nor were there any indications or special instructions for surgeons on the product’s label.

Overview of Stryker Rejuvenate Hip Implant Complications

The Stryker Rejuvenate was released in February 2009, and was approved through the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s 510(k) process approximately a year earlier. Many metal-on-metal hip devices were approved through the FDA’s 510(k) policy because of the rising need for hip modules, the demand for metal hip modules, and their proven pre-market efficiency.

The Rejuvenate system is a dual modular device that is intended for patients who require total hip replacement due to joint disease, arthritis, or severe injuries. Like many of the metal-on-metal hip replacements, Stryker had proven that the device had worked at equivalent or superior level to a similar product already released on the market, which was all that was required for the FDA’s 510(k) policy.

In April 2012, Stryker issued an Urgent Field Safety Notice to surgeons and hospitals in the United States regarding their metal-on-metal hip replacement systems. It warned of the possibility of metal fretting and corrosion, for when the ball-and-socket joint interacted, metal ions were shed into the patient’s bloodstream. This led to a variety of problems including: infection, pain, immobility, device failure, and the formation of pseudotumors. Due to the numerous complaints regarding the devices’ lack of warning on their labeling, Stryker issued a recall of the products in July 2012.

This Metal-on-Metal Hip Implant Lawsuit is Christopher Duncan v. Stryker Corporation, MDL No. 2441, in the U.S. District Court of Central Illinois, Peoria Division.