Factors to Consider before Deciding on Hip Replacement Surgery
Joint diseases, particularly osteoarthritis, have been identified as the main cause of movement limitation and disability among Americans. It is estimated that around 50 million people are suffering from these conditions and this expected to increase as more people advance in age. These conditions have also been the number reason for most hip replacement surgeries.
While many patients may have resumed their previous quality of life with total hip replacement, taking this option is really a big decision. A lot of factors must be considered before deciding to have that life-changing surgical procedure.
Even if the doctor may recommend hip replacement surgery, the patient has to weigh the risks and benefits of such a procedure. Very important in making that big decision is consider how much the disease hurts and how it is affecting the patient’s quality of life.
Indications that it may be best to have that surgery may include the following:
1. You are no longer able to perform routine daily activities such as dressing, eating, and going to the toilet without assistance.
2. You are experiencing pain that keeps you awake during nights, does not ease with medications, and pain that keeps you from making any movements.
3. Your pain does not seem to improve with conservative methods of treatments and you doctor believes that less-complicated operations may not be enough to address your condition.
4. Your condition has advanced to a stage where damage to the joints is extensive and is affecting your life physically, emotionally, and mentally.
Even if these conditions are satisfied, you may still want to consider the risks in light of the alarming failure rates of the metal-on-metal hip implants such as the DePuy ASR hip replacement systems. You may refer to DePuy Recall News Center for more information on this matter which will hopefully help you in making that big decision.
References:
orthopedics.about.com/cs/hipreplacement/a/signs.html
webmd.com/osteoarthritis/knee-hip-replacement-12/timeline-hip-replacement
Women Prone to Suffer Hip Replacement Failure, Study Says
According to a new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, women may be more at risk to experience hip replacement failure. This is one of the reasons why recipients of these hip implants are filing lawsuits against some of the orthopedic companies, for instance, Stryker hip recall lawsuit.
The study which was funded by the Food and Drug Administration found that women are 29 percent more likely to have a revision hip surgery to correct the adverse effects of metal-on-metal hip implants.
There were almost 35,000 patients who participated in the study and they all had undergone a hip replacement operation. Dr. Art Sedrakyan, co-author of the study suggested that women may be at higher risk from all these failing implants due to the fact that women’s physical anatomy requires them to have smaller hip implant devices which are prone to dislocate and wear.
The FDA said that the metal fragments from these all-metal hip implant devices may harm the soft tissue near the implant. This condition is known as metallosis. It is considered dangerous as it may seep into the bloodstream and may damage other body organs.
Aside from women, the FDA also released a list of other patients who may be at risk for adverse tissue reaction. They include patients with suppressed immune systems, high doses of corticosteroids, severely overweight, and those with bilateral implants among others.
Sources:
fda.gov/MedicalDevices/ProductsandMedicalProcedures/ImplantsandProsthetics/MetalonMetalHipImplants/
ucm241766.htm
news.msn.com/science-technology/study-hip-replacements-a-bit-more-likely-to-fail-in-women-than-men