Metal Poisoning - A Complication of DePuy Hip Replacements

A concern some patients may have with DePuy hip implants, which have been recalled, is metallosis, or metal poisoning, caused by the metal on metal contact between the ball and socket of the implant. This condition can result in inflammation of the joint in question, which has the potential to instigate bone loss.

Because of this, and other complications relating to the hip implant such as the possibility of dislocation, lawsuits have been filed against the DePuy company and the product has been recalled, but not before having been implanted into thousands of patients. The company’s website states that 12 percent of patients with a partial hip replacement using this specific product had to have a second surgery to remove the hip and put a new one in its place.

The symptoms of metallosis can include hearing loss, vision loss, and hip pain, and may even be linked to some forms of cancer and birth defects. If the metal poisoning is due to chromium or cobalt, painful tumors could form. The treatment for metal poisoning resulting from a hip implant is either medication, which is not always effective, or another surgery to remove the old hip and implant a new one, which is not ideal because of possible complications such as blood clots or infection.

Although the recall implemented by the DePuy manufacturing company was voluntary, it was necessitated by the lawsuits being raised against them by people who were injured because of their product, sometimes seriously.