If you’ve had your hip replaced, you may know that it will need to be replaced every 10 to 20 years. However, if your hip replacement fails, you’ll need to replace it sooner than that. Metal-on-metal hip implants are about four times more likely to fail than other types. If you have a metal-on-metal implant, you should become familiar with the signs of a defective or malfunctioning hip replacement. An attorney may be able to help you recover compensation for the additional costs, pain and suffering and other issues this can create.
Why Do Metal-on-Metal Implants Fail?
As you may know, hip replacement involves removing all or part of the hip joint and replacing it with an implant. The hip is a ball-and-socket joint. If a metal-on-metal implant is used, the metal ball can grind against the metal cup. As friction wears the metal down, tiny flakes of metal can wear off into the space around the implant. In some cases, these metal particles enter the bloodstream. The metal particles can also cause the tissues and bone around the implant to deteriorate faster.
Signs Your Hip Implant May Be Defective
There are three main categories of people who need hip replacements most: women, smokers and young, active people. However, any hip implant can fail. Here are the signs of a failing implant.
- Hip or pelvic pain and trouble walking. Pain is usually the first indication that something is wrong. You may feel intense pain in your pelvic area or have difficulty walking on your implant.
- Metallic taste in your mouth. This indicates that you may have metallosis, which is a direct result of too much metal in your bloodstream.
- Your hip makes popping or grinding noises. You shouldn’t be able to feel or hear your implant. If you do, it may not have been implanted correctly.
- Blurry vision or color-blindness. Metal particles can affect your senses, including your vision. If your vision has suddenly declined or you have recently noticed color-blindness, you may have metallosis.
- Hearing loss. Similarly, metallosis can cause a ringing or buzzing in your ears.
- High blood metal ions. This can happen when your metal implant is releasing too many metal particles into your bloodstream.
- Cognitive impairment. Dementia-like symptoms are another symptom of metallosis, caused by too much metal in your bloodstream.
If you’ve noticed any of these symptoms after a metal-on-metal hip implant, call your doctor—and an attorney—immediately.
Consult an Ohio Medical Malpractice and Products Liability Lawyer Today
Hip implant manufacturers have a responsibility to consumers—and so does your surgeon. If you’ve been harmed by a defective or improperly performed hip replacement, I’ll Make Them Pay!® Call me today at 877.944.4373 to talk about how we can help you recover compensation for your losses.
