Hip Replacements
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About Metal-on Metal Hip Implants »
Metal-on-Metal (MoM) hip implants are medical devices used to help individuals regain mobility from wear and tear on the original joint due to osteoarthritis and other hip conditions. While there are currently five total hip replacement devices comprised of different materials available, metal-on-metal devices are used in cases where implant survivorship is a factor (i.e. where the patient is younger, and it is desired to not have to replace the original implant with another in the patient’s lifetime). Metal-on-Metal hip implant devices are made up of a metal ball and metal socket and are more durable and less prone to dislocation and fracture than devices made of other materials.
Complications »
In recent years, some metal-on-metal hip implants have been associated with severe post-surgical complications including metallosis, adverse local tissue reaction (ALTR), pseudotumors, bone loss and infection that require extensive corrective hip revision surgery. Because metal-on-metal hip implant devices are comprised of a metal ball and a metal socket, the continual wear and tear from the ball and socket sliding against each other during everyday movement results in the release of tiny metal particles into the body. These particles can become lodged in neighboring bone and tissue at the implant site and metal ions composed of cobalt and chromium released into the bloodstream. In recent years, two Smith & Nephew MoM hip implant devices have been recalled due to excessively high failure rates and severe post-surgical complications.
Metal-on-Metal Hip Implants – Investigation of Injuries »
We are currently investigating reports of injuries and serious complications related to Smith & Nephew and DePuy Metal-on-Metal hip implant devices. Smith & Nephew’s R3 metal-on-metal liner (“R3”) and the Birmingham Hip Resurfacing (“BHR”) and DePuy’s ASR and Pinnacle systems have all been related to high failure rates and severe complications requiring hip revision surgery and other corrective treatments These complications may include, but are not limited to, metallosis (high concentrations of cobalt and chromium metal ions in the blood), the development of pseudotumors (large masses formed in reaction to metal debris lodged in tissue), adverse local tissue reaction (including infection, swelling, death of healthy tissue), osteolysis (bone loss from inflammation due to an adverse reaction to metal fragments) and nervous system disorders including visual and auditory impairment. If you or a loved one have experienced injuries or complications following a total hip replacement or hip resurfacing surgery involving a metal-on-metal hip implant device, we would like to speak with you.
