Metal Hip Replacement Poisoning

Patients need to watch out for hip replacement poisoning symptoms.

Metal hip replacement poisoning.

It involves a build up of metal debris in the body s soft tissue. Sometimes a device can fracture opening up internal metal parts that hadn t been exposed to the body before. According to the u s. A diagnosis out of the blue by robert d.

Cobalt toxicity can occur with metal on metal and metal on polyethylene hip implants. Centers for disease control and prevention the number of hip replacements increased significantly in the early 2000s. But metal on metal hip replacements carry an extra burden. The friction releases tiny metal particles into your bloodstream that could trigger a hypersensitive immune response in your body.

Metal on metal hip replacement manufacturers have until june 5 to come up with a plan for safety studies. Some devices are ceramic on metal which has significantly lowered the prevalence of this condition but still presents with some cases. Metallosis is a blood poisoning condition that develops when there are high levels of toxic metals in the blood. Hip replacements have become more popular over the years.

Metal on metal mom hip implants have unique risks in addition to the general risks of all hip implants. If you re not sure what type of implant you have or you have any concerns about your hip you can consult your doctor for advice. It is reputed to occur when metal particles shed from metal hip implants or other joint replacement devices are released into the bloodstream and tissue surrounding the implant. Metallosis is a type of metal poisoning.

Bunning md facp facr. Metal on metal mom implants have only been used in a minority of all hip replacement surgeries. Collect information on adverse events and the rates and time since. All artificial hip implants carry risks including wear of the component material.

Even if your hip replacement is only partially metal you can still get metal poisoning. This happens when parts of a metal on metal hip replacement rub together releasing tiny cobalt and chromium particles into your bloodstream and the tissue surrounding your hip. They are done on very few people now so this may not affect you. This year s international story of cobalt toxicity occurring from metal wear after total hip replacement surgery was first broken during a session at the acr winter symposium on jan.