New Report Highlights Metal Hip Implant Problems

Modern, all-metal hip implants appear no more effective than traditional implants and may be less safe, according to a new report, a finding that could hurt orthopedic companies that make the devices and accelerate lawsuits.

The report, published in December 2011 in the British Medical Journal, found that patients who received so-called metal-on-metal implants were more likely to require repeat surgery than those who received traditional implants.

Every year, more than 700,000 joint replacements are performed in the United States, of which some 270,000 are hip replacements, according to the report.

The materials used in a replacement hip’s ball-and-socket structure can vary to include metal, ceramic or plastic. Metal on metal implants were supposed to be more durable than earlier metal on polyethylene implants. But over the past few years, reports have emerged that the metal implants fail at a greater rate than traditional implants.

The report analyzed the results of 18 studies involving 3,139 patients and more than 830,000 operations reported in registries.