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Maureen Bayles, a resident of Richmond, England, just to the west of London, told the British Broadcasting Corporation’s (BBC) Newsnight program that when she had to get her hips replaced in 2005, she was told that DePuy’s Pinnacle implants were the best way to go. But now, just a few years later, she is undergoing revision surgery to have the failed Pinnacle hip implants removed.
Hundreds of patients who have been implanted with a Pinnacle hip implant system made by DePuy Orthopaedics have filed complaints against the manufacturer, alleging the all-metal device is to blame for a multitude of injuries and illnesses. But unlike DePuy’s ASR XL Acetabular and Hip Resurfacing implants, two all-metal hip devices recalled by DePuy in 2010, no recall of the company’s Pinnacle system lies in sight.
Researchers who conducted studies on metal-on-metal hip implants are asking doctors to stop using the devices because they believe they are much more likely to need repair or replacement, and may leech toxic metals into patients’ bloodstreams. The study, funded by the National Joint Registry of England and Wales, was published online this week in The Lancet.
A team of researchers at the University of Limerick is working to find innovative ways to improve the lifespan of artificial hips and other orthopaedic implants.
British hip surgeons are calling for a stop on the use of large-head metal hip implants, claiming the risks associated with the devices outweigh their benefits.
People who have received any metal-on-metal type of hip implant should be monitored every year for the rest of their lives in order to rule out possible complications, the United Kingdom’s Medicine and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) announced this week. The news comes on the heels of a report by the British Medical Journal (BMJ) and the British Broadcasting Company (BBC) that found problems with the all-metal artificial hips may have been known for years but nothing has been done to ban their use.
Great Britain’s Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) on Tuesday advised recipients of certain high-risk all-metal hip implants, such as DePuy’s Pinnacle cup system, to be tested annually for the rest of their lives out of concern for illnesses and injuries the implants may cause.
Tens of thousands of patients around the world, including 37,000 in the United States, have been implanted with problematic metal-on-metal hip implants made by DePuy, which were recalled in August 2010 over safety concerns. However, DePuy’s Pinnacle hip device, another hip implant made from all metal parts, remains on the market worldwide despite growing evidence that the device may cause the same illnesses and injuries as DePuy’s recalled ASR implants.
Failing metal hip implants may cause problems for more people than the toxin-leaking breast implants circulating in Europe, according to an investigation launched by the British Medical Journal (BMJ) and the British Broadcasting Corp (BBC).
Consumers Union (CU) is joining the fight to urge lawmakers to require stricter oversight of medical devices, especially since it says the current practice puts consumers, especially senior citizens, at risk for ongoing complications. CU is a nonprofit consumer watchdog that also publishes Consumer Reports magazine and ConsumerReports.org.
