As one more in a long line of metal-on-metal hip implants to be plagued with recipient problems, the Biomet M2A Magnum first became available in October of 2004. The design of the Biomet M2A was meant to maximize mobility, minimize friction and offer a variety of size ranges to allow surgeons to more precisely fit the implant to the specific anatomy of each patient. Unfortunately, Biomet’s design has been found to have many of the same risks as other metal-on-metal hip implants such as metallosis, nerve and tissue damage in the area surrounding the implant, bone loss and loosening of the device which contributes to hip dislocation.

DePuy Orthopedics, along with their parent company, Johnson & Johnson, issued a recall of their ASR XL Acetabular Hip System, along with the ASR Hip Resurfacing System in August of 2010. This recall was implemented following a flurry of adverse event reports among recipients of one of these two hip implants. At the time of the recall DePuy and Johnson and Johnson acknowledged that the ASR XL and the ASR Hip Resurfacing System had a higher-than-expected rate of failure—as much as 12% within a short time after implantation. At the time of the recall, DePuy stated that the ASR could loosen or misalign and that recipients of the ASR were at a higher risk for infection, bone fracture, dislocation, metallosis, metal toxicity and pain. 

 In the midst of the furor surrounding metal-on-metal hip implants, a recent study of U.S. implant recipients found that these implants—as well as implants made from other materials—are even more likely to fail in women than in men. In fact, women overall were 29% more likely to require a revision surgery within the first three years following their initial hip implant. Even though women comprise the majority of the 400,000 annual hip replacement surgeries each year, the studies showed no clear answer as to which type of hip implants perform the best in women.

When the Stryker Rejuvenate hip implant was introduced it was considered quite innovative in design; the Rejuvenate was marketed in 2009 after gaining FDA approval in June, 2008. While traditional hip implant designs were manufactured with a one piece neck and stem, both the Rejuvenate and ABGII have a design which implements a variety of components. In fact, the ABGII hip implant has sixteen stems—including left and right sides, and ten different sizes of modular neck. Six stems and sixteen necks make up the Rejuvenate hip implant system. Marketing for the Rejuvenate claimed that this hip implant was designed specifically for the younger, more active patient who was currently experiencing limited mobility of their hip joint.

Metal-on-metal hip implants have been in the news frequently over the past couple of years for a very good reason—metallosis and hip implant failures are increasingly common among those with all-metal hip implants. Even the most conservative estimates point to as many as 7,500—or 3% of all those with metal hip implants—affected by cobalt and chromium poisoning and hip implant failure.