Hip replacements
/ Courtesy: NBC News
The latest and largest research to date on metal-on-metal hip replacements confirms their high failure rate. It's leading many orthopedic specialists to say there's no reason to use them at all.
Hip replacement surgeries have helped thousands of people resume an active lifestyle. But new research shows their energy levels are likely to outlast their brand new, artificial hips if they're metal-on-metal implants. That means both the ball and socket of the device are made of metal. "I would not have a metal on metal hip replacement if I was going to have to have a hip replacement myself," said Dr. David Mauerhan, an Orthopedic Surgeon with Carolinas Healthcare System.
Dr. Mauerhan and many of his colleagues around the country have stopped using the all-metal hip implants. That's because they're more likely to wear out in as few as five years. In some cases, tiny metal fragments can slough off. "That can lead to loosening of the implant, destruction of soft tissues around the hip replacement and pain and decreasing function on the part of the patient," Dr. Mauerhan said.
Now, a new analysis of more than 400,000 hip replacements confirms the metal-on-metal variety are failing at much higher rates than other types like ceramic and polyethylene, especially in women. The study authors are even suggesting a ban. "There is no advantage whatsoever of using a metal on metal hip in today's environment," Dr. Mauerhan said.
Still, an estimated 500,000 people in the U.S. have all metal artificial hips. Experts say those patients should get their hips checked every year.
These days, however, doctors estimate fewer than 5 percent of hip replacements performed in the U.S. are all metal.
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Information courtesy of NBC News.
