In New Zealand, Half of All Metal Hip Implants have Issues

Metal-on-metal hip implants have come under scrutiny in the past few years due to high-profile recalls and safety concerns. Now, an investigation by the New Zealand Herald has found that half of the metal-on-metal hip implants received by New Zealanders are problematic. However, the Herald reports, there is no official record of these metal hip issues because the recall and monitoring process is handled by device makers and surgeons. The country’s government now intends to revise regulations to include medical devices.

According to the Weekend Herald, there were safety notices, health warnings or recalls for about 2,500 of the 5,000 metal-on-metal hip implants put into New Zealand patients. International rates indicate that 200 of the 2,500 have resulted in problems so serious that the devices need to be removed and replaced.

Metal-on-metal hip implants are hip replacements in which the contacting surfaces of the implant are made of metal; this includes the stem, which is inserted into the bone, the metallic ball placed on top of it and the acetabular cup. All-metal hip implants were first marketed as being more durable and better suited for younger, more active patients. The devices have come under fire, however, after recalls were issue due to high failure rates.

Metal-on-metal hip implants have been found to be problematic because they can shed metal particles when the surfaces of the implant rub together, causing pain, inflammation, swelling, metal poisoning and a host of other complications. In some patients these issues become severe enough to warrant a revision surgery where the device is removed and replaced.

In 2012, the British Medical Journal published an article scrutinizing the regulatory systems behind metal-on-metal hip implants. The article also examined evidence of high chromium and cobalt readings in the blood of metal hip implant patients. That same year, the Lancet published a study showing that metal hip implants were associated with a higher rate of revision.

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