I have asked who made my hips and I never got an real answer. My theory for my success is based on the fact that the hips that were used for me were created in the early pre FDA approval period. Depuy, owned by Johnson & Johnson, was referenced in the documentary, however, there has been recall activity on cobalt based joints from Stryker and Smith Nephew. So why have I not experienced any cobalt poisoning related medical issues? Obviously the surgery can be positive, however, it is true that many have experienced serious problems. I guess the point of my post is to let it be known that hip resurfacing can be very positive. I do believe that my second hip done in 2010 was from the same design and stock of the Cobalt-chrome implant. My first hip was his 439th hip resurfacing. Fortunate for me there was an orthopedic surgeon in Salem, Oregon, who was allowed to perform this surgery probably due to the FDA’s 510(k) pathway for approving medical devices as mentioned in the documentary. The allure for me was the fact that you could remain active and if needed down the road I could still get a hip replacement. So I started investigating this alternative procedure. I remember hearing about hip resurfacing in a 60 Minutes type segment on Americans traveling to India for this surgery. I had heard that hip replacements were good for 15-20 years which did not seem to match well with my age. Once I understood this back in 2006 when I was 52 years old and in constant pain I had to figure out a solution. For me this has been accelerated by a life of sports activity, most notably basketball, that allowed this arthritic condition to wear away the natural lining of my hip joint. My History: My family has shown a propensity toward the development of an arthritis that creates some bone deposits in our hips. The documentary does not spell this out in sufficient detail, instead it broadly classifies any device made from cobalt as dangerous. The minor amounts of cobalt and other metal oxides on the surface appear to be contained by the body’s encapsulation. The Co-Cr alloys show high resistance to corrosion due to the spontaneous formation of a protective passive film composed of mostly Cr 2O 3. The premise for using a metal on metal hip as in my case is that the body naturally encapsulates and provides lubrication for the joint movement. These features are critical for a successful and enduring joint replacement. My hips are made of a Cobalt-chrome alloy that is used because it creates one of the hardest and strongest metals known to man. The greatest concern comes from these devices that actually operate with a metal on metal joint, and hips are probably the most common. I am focusing on hip resurfacing which was lumped into the broad exposure of any metal joints made from Cobalt. This is an important documentary that does expose the weakness of our regulation of the medical implant industry and sounds a needed alarm to those patients who may now be at risk. The film is a very well done documentary that examines the $400bn medical device industry that reviews five products that have exhibited significant failures including the broad review of cobalt based hip implants.
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