FDA to examine risks of metal hip implants

A Food and Drug Administration advisory panel will meet in June to discuss the risks of metal-on-metal hip implants. The panel will examine patient risk factors, failure rates of metal-on-metal implants, testing for metal ions in a recipient’s bloodstream and the need for post-surgery follow-ups.

A British study that was published March 2012 focused on increased failure rates of metal-on-metal implants, and is one of the reasons that the agency is examining the safety of metal-on-metal implants, FDA spokesperson Michelle Bolek says.

British researchers concluded that metal-on-metal hip implants have to be replaced more frequently than do ceramic or plastic hip implants.

The metal-on-metal hip implants that the British study examined were among the latest metal-implant materials about which Consumers Digest reported in “Forever Young: The Latest in Joint Replacement,” in its May/June 2008 issue.