Medical Journal, Orthopedists, Recommend Hip Replacement Ban
High failure rates, a worldwide recall affecting 93,000 people, studies indicating metal poisoning and carcinogenicity, and thousands of hip replacement lawsuits, metal-on-metal hip replacements are rapidly falling out of favor in the public and the medical community. Now, a new study published in the medical journal, Lancet, and funded by the National Joint Registry for England and Wales recommends orthopedists not use all-metal hip replacements in their patients. The British Hip Society backs the call for an informal all-metal hip replacement ban.
Study Finds Implants with ‘Large Heads’ Fail Too Often
Published on March 13, 2012, the Lancet study analyzed over 31,000 recipients of metal-on-metal hip replacements between 2003 and 2011. The researchers discovered a correlation between hip replacement problems and the diameter of the implant’s femoral head. Implants with larger heads failed more frequently than those with smaller ones. Moreover, ceramic-on-ceramic devices failed less frequently than all-metal ones. The researchers concluded, “Metal-on-metal stemmed articulations give poor implant survival compared with other options and should not be implanted. All patients with these bearings should be carefully monitored, particularly young women implanted with large diameter heads.”
Regulators Defend the Devices
In a BBC article, the British Hip Society issued its own recommendation: orthopedists should discontinue using all-metal hip devices in their patients because their supposed benefits do not outweigh their risks. The hip replacement ban would apply only to total hip replacement devices, i.e. not hip resurfacing ones, and to devices whose head diameters exceeded 1.4 inches. Britain’s Medicines and Healthcare products and Regulatory Agency (MHRA) disagreed with the British Hip Society’s opinion. Its director, Dr. Susanne Ludgate, believed that metal-on-metal hip replacements might work for certain individuals, particularly younger and more active patients.
RLG Represents Those Injured by All-Metal Hips
If the Lancet findings are correct, a metal-on-metal hip replacement ban will prevent additional injuries. However, it will do little for those who believe they have suffered injuries by all-metal hips. If you received a recalled DePuy hip, it’s important to know that the amount of compensation from a DePuy hip replacement lawsuit might be greater than what DePuy is willing to offer via its recall reimbursement program. In a lawsuit, a plaintiff might be able to recover full medical costs, lost income, transportation expenses, pain and suffering, and punitive damages. All you need to do is click on this link or call 1-877-312-3274 and a hip recall lawyer from the Rottenstein Law Group will call you as soon as possible.
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