Stryker Corp. Accused of Hiding Pain Pump Risks

MILWAUKEE - A Wisconsin man is accusing Stryker Corp. of promoting the use of its pain pump catheter for intra-articular (joint) use without Food and Drug Administration approval and without conducting safety tests. Loucks v. Stryker Corp., No. 10-671 (E.D. Wis.).

The Nov. 3 complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, says the company hid from doctors and the public the risk of chondrolysis associated with intra-articular use.

In 2006, Kenneth Loucks underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right ankle. Dr. William Wessels implanted a catheter in the ankle for a Stryker pain pump to …