New studies seem to point to
the fact that women fare less favorably than men after receiving a hip implant.
This study comes on the heels of FDA scrutiny of metal-on-metal hip implants in
particular. California researchers studied 35,000 cases of artificial hip
implants finding the failure rate for women three years post-op was about 2.3
percent while the failure rate for men is approximately 1.9 percent. This
includes all types of artificial hip devices—ceramic, polyethylene and
metal-on-metal.
The primary reason for implant
failure among women was due to dislocation of the artificial implant. The
purpose of hip implants is to relieve pain and give back a certain level of
mobility to the patient. Arthritis and injuries are often the cause of this
lack of mobility and chronic pain. The more active lifestyles of many Americans
have resulted in younger and younger recipients of artificial hip devices. For
many people the operation provides much-needed relief so while this research
should not dissuade those who really need hip replacement surgery from
proceeding, women in particular should be very cautious about the type of hip
implant they receive.
Problems with Metal-on-Metal Hip Implants
While the metal-on-metal hip
implants are used less frequently among women, they tend to cause the greatest
number of problems. In fact, the failure of the all-metal hip implants among
women was nearly twice that of the same all-metal implants in men. The
all-metal hip implants, while marketed as having a life expectancy of fifteen
years or more have suffered many different problems which have caused several
manufacturers to recall their all metal hip implants. Lawsuits number in the
thousands against these manufacturers from implant recipients who have suffered
tissue destruction and death, chronic pain and bone loss, leading to the
necessity of a revision surgery. Many of these patients have had metal toxicity
and metal poisoning as well, suffering a variety of adverse health symptoms as
the cobalt and chromium levels build to dangerous levels in their bodies.
Potential Reasons for Higher Failure among Women
Director at the Hospital for
Special Surgery in Manhattan, Geoffrey Westrich, notes that in a separate study
he and his collaborators found that women tend to wait longer before they agree
to hip implant surgery and they typically report greater amounts of pain than
men. The study which found that women are more likely to suffer hip implant
failure was funded by the FDA and the specific results were published in JAMA
Internal Medicine. Women’s typically smaller joints dictate a smaller femoral
head be used in the hip implant.
Those smaller heads have a
greater risk of dislocation, leading to revision surgery. Women also tend to
have a higher degree of bone density loss, particular after menopause which
could also contribute to the higher number of revision surgeries for women.
Women considering an artificial hip implant surgery are cautioned to choose a
model—other than a metal-on-metal implant—which has been on the market a
substantial number of years with the fewest amount of patient problems.
