What are some other hip replacement complications?

Other problems that can develop from metal-on-metal hip implants include:

  • Loosening of the product from the bone
  • Swelling and inflammation
  • Decreased mobility due to difficulty walking
  • Bone around the implant may break
  • Dislocation of the implanted joint and attached bones because parts of the implant that move against each other are no longer aligned

On July 24, 2008, Zimmer Holdings, the country’s largest artificial joint component manufacturer, announced that they were recalling their metal-on-metal Durom Cup hip implants because of its high rates of failure.

On August, 24, 2010, Johnson & Johnson recalled its DePuy ASR XL Acetabular System hip implants because it too was experiencing a high rate of failure. Available data indicates that approximately 13% of patients who received a DePuy ASR hip implant had to undergo a second hip surgery to remove the defective implant.

The medical device manufacture Stryker began marketing its Rejuvenate Modular Primary Hip System in June 2008. Four years later (July 6. 2012) Stryker announced a voluntary recall of both the Rejuvenate and ABG II Modular Hip Systems because of complications associated with the modular neck stems. Fretting and corrosion which develops at the modular neck interface can lead to significant amounts of dangerous cobalt and chromium metal ions being released into the surrounding tissues and blood stream. These metal ions in the body can lead to serious medical problems such as tissue necrosis and pseudo tumor formation. These serious medical problems may force individuals to have to undergo another hip replacement surgery.