All-metal hip joint replacements were strongly criticized by most bone experts, orthopedic health magazines say, delineating its greater failure rate among women patients. As it turns out, metallic implants pose greater health risks than those made with plastic, ceramic, or a combination of both.

Over 500,000 hip joint replacement procedures are done every year, and majority of its recipients have undergone several revisions and needed constant monitoring for their serum chromium and cobalt levels. According to the National Joint Registry of England and Wales, metal replacements fail by 6.2 %. This is greater when compared to ceramic types (2.3%) and those made in combination with plastic (1.7%).

With the controversies and the lawsuits that were created by the hip recall law, patients who received the recalled implants need to immediately seek out the help of their doctors.

References:

arthritistoday.org/news/asr-depuy-hip-replacement-recall078.php

njrcentre.org.uk/njrcentre/Patients/Jointreplacementstatistics/tabid/99/Default.aspx

guardian.co.uk/science/2012/mar/13/ban-metal-hip-replacements