The Metal-on-Metal Hip Implants Scandal

If you suffer from hip problems, the results can be catastrophic, leading to debilitating pain that can rob you of your quality of life. Hundreds of thousands of people have turned to metal-on-metal hip implants in an effort to find relief. Unfortunately, many of these implants have reportedly caused severe complications, often necessitating the need for painful and expensive revision surgeries.

What Happened?

The problem of hip implant complications was so bad that officials with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration held a two-day meeting in 2012 to discuss the issue. According to an article that appeared on the Medical News Today (MNT) website, as many as 500,000 people could face risks due to defective implants. Several companies manufactured the implants in question, including Johnson & Johnson, Zimmer Holdings and others.

MNT reported that studies showed not only that people were falling ill due to metallosis, a condition in which pieces of metal enter the bloodstream and cause poisoning, but that the failure rate of certain implants was a lot higher than manufacturers let on.

And it can be incredibly difficult to repair complications. One man, according to MNT, spent five agonizing months without a left hip because of a failed revision surgery after his original implant failed. He essentially lived in a reclining chair during this period and racked up an astounding $500,000 in medical bills.