56-Year-Old Woman Develops Severe Metal Poisoning From Hip Implant After 19 Years
Updated
Updated · Ars Technica · Jul 2
56-Year-Old Woman Develops Severe Metal Poisoning From Hip Implant After 19 Years
1 articles · Updated · Ars Technica · Jul 2
Summary
Eight weeks of worsening numbness, balance problems, memory trouble and heart palpitations sent a 56-year-old woman to hospital, where doctors traced the cause to severe metal poisoning from a failing hip replacement.
The prosthesis had begun failing after 19 years, and she underwent a hip revision about three months before symptoms started after a prior dislocation and evidence that the hip socket lining was breaking down.
Her case, published this week in the New England Journal of Medicine, shows how a disintegrating implant can trigger neurological symptoms that initially resemble other conditions, including medication-related problems.
The report also notes that more than 90% of hip replacements last at least 30 years, making her complication an uncommon but serious long-term failure.