“Metal-on-Metal” Hip Replacements Linked to Complications
Date Published: Thursday, March 4th, 2010
So called “metal-on-metal” hip replacements may be causing complications for many recipients. According to an article in The New York Times, many orthopedic surgeons have reduced or stopped using such hip implants, and recently The Journal of Arthroplasty, urged doctors to use the metal-on-metal devices only with “great caution, if at all.”
Hip implants should last about 15 years. But in many cases, The New York Times said, recipients of metal-on-metal hip implants require replacement surgery within a year or two. One orthopedic surgeon told the Times that he was now replacing metal-on-metal devices at the rate of one a month.
In the U.S., metal-on-metal hip implants are used in one third – roughly 250,000 – hip replacements every year. They are also used in hip resurfacing procedures. The implants, whose ball-and-socket joints are made from metals like cobalt and chromium, were thought to be more durable than earlier devices.
But that may not be the case. According to The New York Times, studies indicate that hip implants can quickly begin to wear, generating high volumes of metallic debris that is absorbed into a patient’s body. This can cause soft-tissue destruction and destruction of bone.
According to the Times, roughly 1 to 3 percent of implant recipients could be affected by the problem, which translates to thousands of patients. And for some reason, these complications affect more women than men.
No one knows why these complications happen, or if some manufacturers’ hip implants are more likely to shed metal particles than others. According to the Times, experts believe the complications could be both design and technique related. Even slight misalignments by surgeons can have more serious consequence when a hip replacement involves a metal-on-metal implant rather than an older type of device, the Times said.
This entry was posted
on Thursday, March 4th, 2010 at 12:32 pm and is filed under Defective Medical Devices.
“Metal-on-Metal” Hip Replacements Linked to Complications
Date Published: Thursday, March 4th, 2010
So called “metal-on-metal” hip replacements may be causing complications for many recipients. According to an article in The New York Times, many orthopedic surgeons have reduced or stopped using such hip implants, and recently The Journal of Arthroplasty, urged doctors to use the metal-on-metal devices only with “great caution, if at all.”
Hip implants should last about 15 years. But in many cases, The New York Times said, recipients of metal-on-metal hip implants require replacement surgery within a year or two. One orthopedic surgeon told the Times that he was now replacing metal-on-metal devices at the rate of one a month.
In the U.S., metal-on-metal hip implants are used in one third – roughly 250,000 – hip replacements every year. They are also used in hip resurfacing procedures. The implants, whose ball-and-socket joints are made from metals like cobalt and chromium, were thought to be more durable than earlier devices.
But that may not be the case. According to The New York Times, studies indicate that hip implants can quickly begin to wear, generating high volumes of metallic debris that is absorbed into a patient’s body. This can cause soft-tissue destruction and destruction of bone.
According to the Times, roughly 1 to 3 percent of implant recipients could be affected by the problem, which translates to thousands of patients. And for some reason, these complications affect more women than men.
No one knows why these complications happen, or if some manufacturers’ hip implants are more likely to shed metal particles than others. According to the Times, experts believe the complications could be both design and technique related. Even slight misalignments by surgeons can have more serious consequence when a hip replacement involves a metal-on-metal implant rather than an older type of device, the Times said.
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This entry was posted
on Thursday, March 4th, 2010 at 12:32 pm and is filed under Defective Medical Devices.
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March 8th, 2010 at 11:42 am
I am at my witts end. My 35 yr. old daughter had her 3rd hip replacement 1/23/09). According to the Dr. photos she was loaded with metalic debris and the ball looked like it was rusting for yrs..Her muscle tissue was filled with this debris. The liner of the socket had a huge hole from the ball!Since then she has lost over 35lbs,always noutious, weak, numb from her left toes to her left side of her face. She constantly has a metalic taste in her mouth and does not taste food. She is at a point of dispair and wants to have her leg removed rather than risking more of an allergic reaction to the metals. She was 174 % in cobalt and 300% higher Titanium during her blood count. She is a Physical Therapist at Mt. Fiore Hospital in the Bronx. Her surgeon from Hosp for Special Surgery say he put in a good him and nothing is wrong withher it is all in her head. She saw a Dr. in Chicago who recommended she see another doctor I thnik at Lenox Hill that says he will contact every Dr. she has seen since her 1st hip replacement (at 14 in 1989) and she has confidence in him and is hopeing he will remove her hip and leg so she can be out od sickness and pain. How can this x-marathon runner, physical therapist live with 1 leg and no stump to attach a non functional leg. Please help me to help her. Sincerely Lou Juhasz 845 831 8248