Metal Ions Released from Metal-on-Metal Hip Devices Pass to Babies, Doctors Report

Some doctors have reported that three babies who were born to women who had been implanted with a metal-on-metal hip device tested with high levels of chromium and cobalt in their umbilical cord blood. The physicians believe metals likely wore off from the implant devices’ metal components, according to the Spoked Blog, which sited Dreamstime.

Ions, which are a charged form of cobalt and chromium, release in metal-on-metal him implant devices over wear and corrosion when the metal parts of the device rub against one another, noted Spoked Blog.

Research ties metal-on-metal hip implant devices to a number of serious adverse events, including:

·      Fluid collection around the hip joint

·      High failure rates

·      Inflammation

·      Pain at the implant site that sometimes spreads to the groin and back

·      Pseudotumors (solid masses) near the hip joint

·      Osteolysis (bone loss)

·      Metallosis (metal poisoning)

·      Swelling

·      Tissue necrosis

The metals used in the construction of the implants—chromium, cobalt—were touted by hip device manufacturers to last for at least two decades when the metal-on-metal devices were first introduced. Mounting reports, research, and lawsuits reveal that some patients have had to undergo painful revision surgeries just a few years after they underwent original implantation surgery.

Often, normal wear and tear impacts the way in which the implants’ metal ball and cup, or other implant parts in which two metal components touch, lead to metal particles being released into the body, potentially leading to other medical issues. The released metal typically causes bone and soft tissue damage in the area of the implant. This is known as an adverse local tissue reaction (ALTR) or an adverse reaction to metal debris, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Metallosis may also lead to a number of serious health reactions when metal ions enter the bloodstream and reach other organs, including systemic reactions such as skin rash, cardiomyopathy, and renal function impairment. Patients may also experience pain, device loosening or device failure, and the need for revision surgery to remove the device and re-implant the patient with a different device—a longer and more complex surgery.

At issue is that some of these serious adverse reactions may occur in babies who are born to women who have been implanted with metal-on-metal hip replacement devices. The doctors’ observations, noted Spoked Blog, reveal an association between cobalt and chromium levels, two of the components found in metal hip implants, in both the mothers and their babies at the time of birth. The finding involved women who had been implanted with metal-on-metal hip implant devices that were constructed with both a metal joint ball and metal socket surface.

from Parker Waichman http://www.yourlawyer.com/blog/metal-ions-released-from-metal-on-metal-hip-devices-pass-to-babies-doctors-report/