How did such a dangerous product make it to market?ĭePuy used the same 510(k) submission process that so many manufacturers use. Yet despite all of these risks, DePuy went ahead with developing and manufacturing their metal-on-metal hop implants. In sum, metal-on-metal hip replacements, which have been under review since at least 1975, can lead to: The journal also explained that as far back as 1996, “patients with metal-on-metal hips found to be at increased risk of cancer compared with those with metal-on-plastic hips.” The soft tissue destruction is often irreparable, resulting in many patients doing poorly after revision procedures,” per The BMJ. Tissue and bone damage may also occur: “adverse reactions to metal debris from metal-on-metal implants are associated with destruction of soft tissue (muscles, tendons, neurovasculature) as well as bone. Prosthetic joint infection (PJI) is a serious complication that “leads to severe pain, poor function, reduced quality of life, and even death.” Metal poisoning is a serious concern for all hip replacement patients, but it is not the only one.
Other risk factors for metal-on-metal hip replacements Tower wonders if some elderly patients – the ones most likely to need a hip transplant – might have been wrongfully diagnosed with a form of dementia, when in fact they were showing signs of a reversible condition, instead. The other danger for cobalt poisoning is that it could mimic other conditions. The tragedy, however, is that patients with extreme cases of cobalt toxicity may have injuries that are too severe to be reversed. The silver lining to cobalt poisoning is that the symptoms and damage, if caught in time, may be completely reversible. In particular, cobalt poisoning can lead to: They can cause damage to the respiratory system, the kidneys and the heart. Both chromium and cobalt are metals that, over time, can poison an individual who has too much of them built up in his or her body. When metals build up in a person’s blood and tissues, they can cause serious injuries. Another study in 1994 reviewed the “dissemination of cobalt and chromium ions into lymph, liver, and spleen,” per The BMJ (formerly the British Medical Journal).Īlmost every metal-on-metal hip implant is made out of cobalt and chromium (another dangerous metal). In 1975, a study was commissioned to review the impact of cobalt on tissues. Of the 48 patients, 20 died as a result of their heart disease. As it turns out, their local brewer had started using a form of cobalt sulfate to create a better foam on top. A group of 48 beer drinkers developed a form of heart disease (cardiomyopathy) unique to that group. In 1966, a curious case of cobalt poisoning occurred in Canada. The toxicity of cobalt has long been known. However, cobalt can also be highly toxic, and over-exposure to the metal can lead to heavy metals poisoning. It has a number of uses, and we even need a small amount of cobalt in our systems, or we can suffer from a particularly severe form of anemia. When the metal is smelted, it becomes very hard. What is cobalt?Ĭobalt is a naturally occurring element best known for its blue shade. It is a far more common side effect than you might think, and one that should have been anticipated by DePuy long before they started selling this defective medical device to patients.
Tower experienced – what so many patients have experienced – is the effects of cobalt poisoning. Within s short time, though, he started to experience some strange side effects, culminating in (as his wife put it) a mental break that led him to trash a hotel room. Tower learned about DePuy Synthes’ new metal-on-metal hip replacements, marketed specifically to people with active lifestyles, he decided that was the right choice for him. He knew that a hip replacement would be inevitable, if he wanted to continue his life without pain. Tower tells the story of how he started to experience pain in his hips, and how he was afraid that he would not be able to compete in a bike race he participated in every year. He is shown biking around Anchorage, Alaska, where he lives and practices. In the Netflix documentary, The Bleeding Edge, you meet an orthopedic surgeon named Dr. (This is part of a series, presented by McGowan, Hood, Felder & Phillips, LLC, titled “Life on The Bleeding Edge : How the FDA Won’t Keep You Safe.” To learn more, please read Part One.
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