Stryker Hip Lawsuit Progress, as New Jersey Court Extends LFIT V40 Femoral Head Discovery

Published on November 2, 2018 by Sandy Liebhard

Stryker hip lawsuits involving allegedly defective LFIT V40 femoral head components continue to move forward in New Jersey.

According to an Order issued in Bergen County Superior Court on August 23^rd, the multicounty litigation’s discovery end date has been extended until June 30, 2019.

It was previously set to expire on December 31, 2018.

LFIT V40 Femoral Heads Subject of Stryker Hip Recall

LFIT V40 femoral heads are designed to be used with various modular hip replacement systems marketed by Stryker, including:

• Accolade TMZF Femoral Stem
• Accolade II Femoral Stem
• Restoration Femoral Hip Stem
• Rejuvenate Monolithic Stem
• ABG II Monolithic Femoral Stem
• Hipstar Femoral Stem
• Citation TMZF HA Stem
• Meridian PA Femoral Stem

In August 2016, the company announced a recall for certain LFIT V40 femoral heads manufactured prior to 2011, after the devices were associated with an unexpectedly high number of reports involving taper lock failure. Such an occurrence can result in serious complications, including hip implant failure and the need for revision surgery.

Th Stryker hip recall was declared a Class II medical device recall by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration. This is the agency’s second-most serious class and indicates that the recalled components could cause temporary or medically-reversible health consequences.

Stryker’s LFIT V40 femoral head warning was expanded in May, after the devices were associated with an unusually high number of complaints involving femoral head/hip stem disassociation.

This occurrence could also cause serious complications, including:

• Dislocation
• Pain due to implant loosening
• Peri-Prosthetic fracture
• Leg length discrepancy
• Loss of mobility
• Inflammatory response
• Adverse local tissue reaction
• Need for revision surgery

All of the components included in Stryker’s most recent warning would have already been implanted or expired. The company has advised surgeons to continue normal follow-up with patients who received the devices listed in the notification.

Federal Stryker LFIT V40 Femoral Head Lawsuits Centralized in Massachusetts

A Case List posted to the Bergen County Superior Court’s website indicates that just over 140 Stryker hip lawsuits are pending in New Jersey’s LFIT V40 femoral head litigation.

In addition that proceedings, at least 457 additional cases involving the same components have been centralized in a multidistrict litigation currently underway in the U.S. District Court, District of Massachusetts.

Plaintiffs with cases pending in the state and federal litigations claim that Stryker had known for years that LFIT V40 femoral heads were defective and dangerous. Despite this awareness, the company continued to market the components as safe, downplayed their risks, and failed to provide doctors and patients with appropriate safety warnings.