Replaced the traditional ceramic or polyethylene materials with the cobalt-chromium alloy for the lining of the head and cup of the hip prosthesis.
Between 2003 and 2010 approximately 1,000,000 of such hip prostheses were implanted.
Associated with increased failure rates.
Cobalt-chromium implants release metal ions into surrounding tissues and bloodstream.
Modern implants are made from a combination of materials, including plastics, ceramics and metals.
Metal-on-metal designs were created with the hope that hip replacements would last longer to give younger, active patients more pain-free mobility for more years.
However, metal-on-metal hip implants produced one significant complication, that metal ions can rub off of the devices and enter a recipient’s bloodstream, creating a metal poisoning known as metallosis.
Other complications of metal implants include a loosening of the implant, joint dislocation and, rarely a squeaky hip.
In a metal-on-metal hip implant in which the ball and socket of the device are both made from metal.