Clipping Board » Medical Affairs and Administration ─ Medical system, pharmaceuticals, and medical community-related reports
2011/10/02 China Times [By Yin Dehan/Comprehensive Report]
Over a decade ago, American researchers warned that metal debris from artificial hip joints could pose potential health risks to patients. This warning, which was ignored at the time, has unfortunately come true. An increasing number of U.S. patients with all-metal artificial hip replacements are experiencing issues, with severe cases even showing symptoms of necrosis in surrounding tissues and muscles.
Traditional artificial hip joints feature a metal-on-plastic interface, while later versions introduced more wear-resistant metal-on-metal interfaces. Regardless of the material, debris will eventually shed over time. However, when the body's clearance cells encounter metal debris, they convert it into biologically active metal ions, which can trigger a chain reaction in some patients, damaging surrounding tissues and muscles.
Diagnosing problems with artificial hip joints is not straightforward. Take 53-year-old Cartier as an example. After suspecting issues with his hip replacement, he consulted seven doctors before finally seeing Dr. Young-Min Kwon at Massachusetts General Hospital. A biopsy revealed necrosis in some surrounding tissues.
Over the past decade, approximately 500,000 all-metal artificial hip replacements have been performed in the U.S. According to The New York Times, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) received over 5,000 reports of problems related to all-metal hip joints in the first half of this year alone. Researchers believe this number will continue to rise.
The U.K. approved the use of metal-on-metal artificial hip joints earlier than the U.S. A recent British study found that while metal-on-plastic hip joints typically last about 15 years, metal-on-metal joints last only one-third as long.
In May of this year, the U.S. FDA ordered all manufacturers of all-metal hip joints to conduct studies to determine the failure rates of their products and the potential consequences for patients. However, these studies will take years to complete, leaving patients to fend for themselves in the meantime.
Source: http://tw. news. yahoo. com/ article/ url/ d/ a/ 111002/ 4/ 2zqym. html
Metal Hip Implant Debris Causes Muscle Necrosis
Over a decade ago, American researchers warned that metal debris from artificial hip joints could pose potential health risks to patients. This warning, which was ignored at the time, has unfortunately come true. An increasing number of U.S. patients with all-metal artificial hip replacements are experiencing issues, with severe cases even showing symptoms of necrosis in surrounding tissues and muscles.
Traditional artificial hip joints feature a metal-on-plastic interface, while later versions introduced more wear-resistant metal-on-metal interfaces. Regardless of the material, debris will eventually shed over time. However, when the body's clearance cells encounter metal debris, they convert it into biologically active metal ions, which can trigger a chain reaction in some patients, damaging surrounding tissues and muscles.
Diagnosing problems with artificial hip joints is not straightforward. Take 53-year-old Cartier as an example. After suspecting issues with his hip replacement, he consulted seven doctors before finally seeing Dr. Young-Min Kwon at Massachusetts General Hospital. A biopsy revealed necrosis in some surrounding tissues.
Over the past decade, approximately 500,000 all-metal artificial hip replacements have been performed in the U.S. According to The New York Times, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) received over 5,000 reports of problems related to all-metal hip joints in the first half of this year alone. Researchers believe this number will continue to rise.
The U.K. approved the use of metal-on-metal artificial hip joints earlier than the U.S. A recent British study found that while metal-on-plastic hip joints typically last about 15 years, metal-on-metal joints last only one-third as long.
In May of this year, the U.S. FDA ordered all manufacturers of all-metal hip joints to conduct studies to determine the failure rates of their products and the potential consequences for patients. However, these studies will take years to complete, leaving patients to fend for themselves in the meantime.
Source: http://tw. news. yahoo. com/ article/ url/ d/ a/ 111002/ 4/ 2zqym. html