Boston Personal Injury Attorney Blog
According to CBC News Health, metal-on-metal hip implants are more likely than traditional hip implants to fail quickly and need to be replaced. In fact, a new report from the Canadian Institute for Health indicated that patients with certain types of metal-on-metal hips had a 5.9 percent chance of needing a second implant within five years as compared with only 2.7 percent of those who have a metal-on-plastic implant. 
Our Boston hip implant attorneys know that this only adds to the growing body of research indicating that metal-on-metal products have a high failure rate. Unfortunately, those patients who have a metal-on-metal hip implant may have significant expenses associated with revision surgeries and treating complications. The manufacturers of the metal-on-metal devices should be responsible for covering the costs of this essential treatment.
Metal-on-Metal Hip Implants Likely to Fail
Recently, the Canadian Institute for Health Information released a report on 56,942 surgeries performed throughout Canada from 2003 to 2011. The report looked at all different factors that influenced how long artificial hip implants would last in the body.
The most common types of hip implant products that were included in the study included:
- Metal on plastic implants, which accounted for 23 percent of all implants included.
- Metal-on-metal implants, which accounted for nine percent of implants included.
- Ceramic-on-ceramic implants, which accounted for eight percent of implants included.
- Ceramic-on-plastic, which accounted for five percent of the implants that were included.
The research revealed that those whose hips were replaced by metal-on-metal joints were more likely to be men and were more likely to be under the age of 55. This data makes sense because metal-on-metal hip implants were specifically marketed towards those who were younger and more active since manufacturers said they would last longer and be less prone to breakage than traditional ceramic-on-metal hip replacement devices.
The typical hip replacement devices lasted around ten to fifteen years, and metal-on-metal products promised to change that. The metal-on-metal products were widely embraced and their use peaked from 2007 to 2008 until news of complications began occurring.
As reports of problems trickled in, eventually regulators from the United States, United Kingdom and Canada all issued warnings that the metal parts were wearing off and entering the blood stream, causing potentially devastating complications.
Now, this widespread report related to hip implants has confirmed that not only can these hip implants cause serious side effects but they are also no more likely to last a long time than the traditional medical devices. In fact, there is a significantly greater chance of the metal-on-metal hip implants failing in a short period of time and necessitating a replacement. Those with large-diameter modular metal-on-metal artificial hip implants are at the greatest risk, as are individuals with pre-existing long term medical conditions.
Thousands of patients who have experienced these failures and who have undergone replacements have begun to take legal action against the medical device manufacturers of the artificial hips in order to hold them accountable. If the metal-on-metal hip fails, the manufacturer should be required to pay.
If you or a loved one is experiencing complications in Massachusetts due to metal-on-metal hip implants, call Jeffrey Glassman Injury Lawyers for a free and confidential appointment — (617) 777-7777.
More Blog Entries:
Johnson & Johnson Tries to Block Experts in DePuy Hip Implant Cases, Boston Injury Attorney Blog, July 1, 2013.