June 2, 2014 — At least five lawsuits involving Stryker Corp.’s Accolade hip replacement have been filed by people who allege that the hip replacement is defective, prone to corrosion, and can cause metal toxicity (metallosis), according to Law360.
The lawsuits were filed in a federal litigation where over 822 lawsuits involving the Rejuvenate and ABG II hip implants are centralized. Stryker recalled the modular-neck hip implants in July 2012 following reports of corrosion and/or fretting.
Stryker issued a Class II recall for the AccoladeTMZF femoral stem in 2009. They issued another recall in April 2012 for the Accolade femoral stem used with the MTCH TRH modular-head/acetabular cup. The devices were linked to unacceptably high rates of revision surgery.
The Accolade is a one-piece implant that contains titanium, iron, molybdenum, and zirconium. However, plaintiffs allege that Stryker changed the composition and started using a different titanium alloy around the same time they recalled the Rejuvenate and ABG II.
Stryker and other manufacturers of metal hip replacements are now facing thousands of lawsuits from people who were injured. Hip implants are supposed to last 15-20 years, but many people who were implanted with all-metal hip implants have required revision surgery after less than 5 years.
Plaintiffs allege that the metal-on-metal design is defective because it can shed toxic metal debris when the metal parts grind together. Over time, this can cause local tissue reactions (pain, swelling, inflammation, etc.) as well as metal toxicity, bone loss, and systemic reactions.
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