Hip Replacement Failure? Get Your Blood Checked
Reports of hip replacement failure and side effects are all over the news these days. I’ve blogged many times about the concerning wear particles that are produced by hip and knee replacement devices. These are essentially small bits of metal that wear off the hip device and can end up causing local allergic reactions or make it into the blood stream. Now a new study takes that to the next level. The authors checked for the presence of cobalt ions in the blood as a marker of hip replacement failure…a proactive hip replacement failure blood test. In particular, the group focused on patients with the Dupuy ASR hip resurfacing device (metal on metal). The patients with the highest levels of cobalt ions in their blood were the most likely to need a subsequent hip joint replacement surgery. The upshot? When a blood test looking for toxic wear particles can determine if your hip replacement will fail, this isn’t good! If you have a hip resurfacing device, getting your blood checked may not be a bad idea…
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