Stryker Could Not Have Known of Pain Pump-Chondrolysis Link, 6th Cir. Affirms

CINCINNATI — A federal appeals court has upheld a grant of summary judgment to Stryker Corp. in a pain pump injury suit, ruling that the manufacturer could not have known that the implantation of its device in shoulder joints could cause cartilage damage. Rodriguez v. Stryker Corp., No. 08-0124 (M.D. Tenn.).

On May 21, the 6th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals found that at the time the device was implanted, the purported association between chondrolysis and anesthetic infusion in the shoulder joint was unknown to Stryker.

In November 2004, Andrew Rodriguez underwent arthroscopic surgery to treat pain and instability in …