What some patients don’t realize, when approaching surgery for a failing hip, is the very surgery they are seeking out can leave them in a worse condition than when they started due to the use of the very medical device intended to help — a metal hip implant — possible side effect from some metal hip implants is metal poisoning.

Metal on Metal Hip Replacement Devices

Hip implants are typically made primarily out of metal or ceramic. In metal implants, the bearings can be metal on metal hip implants or metal on plastic implants.

In metal on plastic implants, a plastic liner inside the cup of the stem and ball socket protects the metal pieces from rubbing together and touching.

Metal on metal hip replacement implants have been used longer than the metal on plastic implants and have been chosen for their greater durability.

However, along with the increased durability of these metal devices, a severe side effect, metal poisoning, can occur resulting from the design of the device.

Metallosis: Metal Poisoning from Cobalt or Chromium of Metal Implants

When the pieces of the metal hip implant touch in the normal course of their function, tiny particles of cobalt and chromium used in the metal parts flake off and are released into the bloodstream.

As a result, a reaction around the joint can occur leading to tissue death and deterioration. This can cause the artificial hip to become loose and can lead to other serious complications.

In addition, the metal itself can then wreak havoc throughout the body, causing metal poisoning, or metallosis. This can especially cause symptoms in the nervous system, heart and endocrine system.

Chromium and cobalt metal poisoning have been linked to the development of tumors, aseptic fibrosis, tissue necrosis and even cancer.

Many patients who initially have a metal on metal hip replacement must endure a revision surgery to replace the metal implants with metal on plastic implants or ceramic implants. The revision surgery is usually much tougher on the body than an initial hip replacement surgery, and recovery time is longer.

Since the body is in an active state trying to combat the problems initiated by the metal on metal hip replacement, the surgery can be riskier and the outcomes poorer than if such complications did not arise.

Metal on Metal Hip Replacement Safety

As a result of problems reported with metal on metal hip replacement, some models have been recalled. Others are still being used and continue to pose the risk of metal poisoning and related complications from the metal implants.

A number of lawsuits have been filed across the country for metal implants from a variety of medical device manufacturers. Multidistrict litigation has been initiated to streamline the hundreds or thousands of lawsuits with similar allegations.

Many of the allegations in the metal hip implant lawsuits center around the allegedly defective nature of the device and the alleged negligence of the companies who potentially knew or should have known that metal poisoning and other complications could arise from the use of the device.

Filing a Hip Implant Metal Poisoning Lawsuit

If you or a loved one suffered from metal poisoning or other complications following a metal on metal hip replacement, you may be eligible to seek legal action. An experienced metal on metal hip implant attorney can guide you through your legal options in a free, confidential case review to see if you qualify.