Product News and Recalls

Hip replacements safe, but not metal implants

Although a recent study found that hip implants are more likely to fail in women than in men, the study authors emphasized that hip replacement is still a very safe surgery overall.

In analyzing the results for 35,000 hip implant recipients, researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City found that women were almost 30 percent more likely than men to need a repeat surgery within the first three years.

But a CBS News story quotes one of the study’s co-authors, orthopedic surgeon Dr. Monti Khatod, as saying that 97 percent of implants overall survive at five years, and about 85 percent survive after 10 years.

The story notes that the failure rates are far higher for all-metal hip implants, which surgeons rarely use anymore.

Some studies found that nearly half of the all-metal implants, which have a both a ball and socket coated in a mix of cobalt and chromium, break down and need replacement within six years. The all-metal models also have a tendency to shed toxic metal debris in patients’ bodies.

About 10,000 patients have filed lawsuits against Johnson & Johnson subsidiary DePuy Orthopaedics, which manufactured an all-metal hip implant that was recalled in 2010.

A lawyer for 64-year-old Loren Kransky says his client suffered metal poisoning as a result of getting a DePuy implant, and might have died if it hadn’t been removed.

You should consult with a doctor if you have any ongoing symptoms or health concerns from a DePuy hip implant. If you have significant injuries, you should also consult with a DePuy hip lawyer to discuss your legal rights.

See the story here:

https://www.cbsnews.com/8301-204_162-57569956/hip-replacements-more-likely-to-fail-in-women-says-study/