Stryker Hip Recall

On August 29, 2016, Stryker Corporation issued a Styker hip recall for its LFIT V40 series of femoral heads manufactured before 2011. On September 27, 2016, Stryker Orthopaedics, in consulation with the Australian Department of Health – Therapeutic Goods Division, issued a “hazard alert” for a specific range of Stryker LFIT V40 femoral heads. These femoral heads are modular components used in total hip replacement procedures, often with the Stryker Accolade stem.

The Styker V40 femoral heads have also been used with the following Stryker hip replacement implants: Accolade, Citation, Meridian, Exeter, Reliance, Definition, and Restoration. In addition, the V40 heads have been used with the Stryker Rejuvenate and Stryker ABG II stems.

Stryker LFIT V40 femoral heads have a higher than expected incidence of taper lock failures. All metal-on-metal hip replacement components are subject to fretting and corrosion, particularly on modular designs. An additional problem with the V40 system is that the taper and the femoral head are made of dissimilar metals – the taper is titanium and the head is chromium/cobalt. The interfacing/fretting between dissimilar metals can lead to galvanizing corrosion. The taper lock is the part of the hip replacement system that connects the femoral head to the femoral neck. If the taper lock fails, patients could experience:

* disassociation of the femoral head from the hip stem
* bone fractures around the implant
* metallic debris in the blood stream and tissues
* loss of mobility
* pain
* inflammation
* tissue damage
* total loss of implant

According to Stryker’s Recall and Hazard Alert, the affected products are:

Item #/ Head Diam./ Offset

6260-9-236/ 36 mm/ +5
6260-9-240/ 40 mm/ +4
6260-9-244/ 44 mm/ +4
6260-9-340/ 40 mm/ +8
6260-9-344/ 44 mm/ +8
6260-9-440/ 40 mm/ +12
6260-9-444/ 44 mm/ +12

Studies have shown, however, that the galvanizing corrosion problem is not limited to the Stryker femoral head dimensions listed above. Indeed, the problem is not limited to Stryker V40 femoral heads. The Zimmer® M/L Taper Hip Prothesis with Kinectiv™ Technology hip replacement system has also experienced a failure rates due to corrosion.

If you or a loved one have had problems with a Stryker LFIT V40 femoral head hip replacement, received notice of a Stryker hip recall, or have been told your Styker hip replacement should be removed and replaced, please contact us using the form on this website or call us toll free at 866.249.3164. There is no fee of any kind in connection with our review of your Stryker hip implant case. We are also investigating Zimmer hip replacement cases and continue to investigate DePuy Pinnacle metal-on-metal hip replacement cases.

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