Anyone had a hip implant failure?

[oldbrownhat]

Not me (yet)- I'm all original parts. But I'm only 70 so there's still time for something to wrong.

For those not so fortunate, this research might bring some relief.

Every year, hip replacement surgery relieves pain for tens of thousands.... However, years later, a small number of people will suffer from an implant failure...

..."The body is a very corrosive environment," Wang said in a media release. Wang references the movie Alien where the "blood" of the creature eats through the spacecraft. Human blood is not that aggressive, but when metal is in our body, our immune system will defend against that foreign material...​

 

[Hair Trigger]

Human blood has a salt concentration of about 0.9% (seawater is 3.5%), which makes it corrosive to metals. Hip implants go back to the late 1970's, so they've been around a long time, and have markedly improved over the years. The greatest wear item is the very dense plastic cup that is part of the acetabular replacement (the socket portion of the joint, part of the hip bone). Early ones would wear out in 5-7 years, now they can go 12-15 years. The metal portions are made mostly of cobalt steel, very strong and generally benign in the body, but some people seem to be more sensitive than others to foreign bodies, which any joint prosthesis actually is. There was for a while a hip replacement that uses a metal-on-metal joint, designed to reduce that wear, but there were problems with deterioration and deposition of metal in the tissue. Two disparate metals in a saline environment are essentially a battery, and the current flow will cause one of the "poles" to corrode, requiring replacement. When I first started working in the O.R., in 1984, there were two companies that made total hip replacements, now there are close to a dozen different types, so a patient can get a "custom fit" for their size and activity level. The patient population has gotten younger over time; originally, only older patients who were not very physical got them, now athletes get them (think of Bo Jackson), and people who get them are living long enough that they may need a revision at some point.

I cannot count the number of hip and knee replacement surgeries I have assisted on or circulated on during my 37 year career in the O.R. as a Registered Nurse. This includes revisions to replace the plastic cup, as well as replacements for corroded prosthetic parts, and of course, the primary joint replacement itself.

The guy I do landscaping with is 68, and has had both his hips replaced, one in 2012 and one in 2014. It amazes me what he is able to do, there's a lot of heavy lifting, bending over, sitting in odd positions, and he is about 230 pounds, so they get a workout. he says all the time that he would be unable to do most of what we do if he'd not had his hips replaced, from degenerative joint disease. he will probably outlive his joint replacements and need a revision in another 5 years

 

[lihpster]

The place I used to work at made the castings for titanium knees and hips. I always joked I was gonna take a full set home for later.

 

[Rudi]

Not me, but my beautiful, sweet, late, lady friend, Julie did. They had to take it out. Infection. Put her in a wheel chair, awaiting the replacement. I believe it was a contributing factor to her death. NEVER go under the knife unless it is a life saver operation.

 

[sheepdawg]

My wife had a hip replacement in November. She's had pain ever since because of a screw backing out. The doctors just scratch their heads.

 

[Greyman50]

Thank God mine done in 16 is ok, feel it when cold or I walk a long distance.

 

[hivel37]

My younger brother had one done. They had
a recall on the implant and had another installed.
I don't recall who the provider was.

 

[Greyman50]

Daughter is a Med. Surg. RN, told me there is a doctor that does 10-12 hip replacements a Day! in the hospital she works in. He uses the front access method and takes about 12-13 hours to do them all. Shorter recovery time for patients .

 

[oldbrownhat]

Reading all this, I am increasingly grateful that I'm still operating on original parts, although the people I know who have had hip or knee replacements seem to have had no problems. My friend Barb (75) had a knee done last year and is currently in Calgary visiting her 94 y.o. mother.

 

[Hair Trigger]

Daughter is a Med. Surg. RN, told me there is a doctor that does 10-12 hip replacements a Day! in the hospital she works in. He uses the front access method and takes about 12-13 hours to do them all. Shorter recovery time for patients .

That's about right. There were two surgeons I worked with and they each had two O.R.s to use on their operating days (twice a week). While one room was being prepared, getting the patient in and under anesthesia, the surgeon is in the other room doing the surgery, which takes roughly an hour to an hour and fifteen minutes. He "flip-flops" from room to room, by the time he's done in the first room, the second room is ready and waiting. Our guys could do 6 cases in an 8 hour shift this way. We had a couple of other surgeons who weren't in such a hurry, they'd stay in one room and still do 4 cases per day.

The "front access" method is called an anterior approach; it divides the muscles around the hip instead of having to cut through them, which makes for faster patient recovery.

 

[Paul in Nevada]

My mother had one installed the week after Christmas. The scar is shorter than the palm of her hand. Fortunately, she is mentally tough and very active so the recovery went very well. The key is to get moving literally day one after the surgery. People who think they are going to take it easy while things heal will have poor outcomes.

 

[walkin jack]

I had a knee replacement failure after 3 years but it was due to the failure of a bone graft on the tibial plateau. Had to do the whole thing over.

 

[Rustyt1953]

Thanks, I wasn't hip to that.

 

[Retired LTC USAR]

Had my hip replaced in December 2018. Was only off eork for 6 weeks. Have had no problems since.

 

[pantannojack]

I got my new total hip for Christmas 2015. It took three years to stop paining me. They went rear incision, cross cut the Gluteus Maximus and repaired with permanent stitching. Now is just fine other than leg is now 1/2 inch longer than the other. Before I could not walk fifty feet.

 

[mtgianni]

A co-worker had one and had it recalled by the manufacturer. The deal is that you only get two surgeries in your lifetime due to losing length in the femur when the rod is inserted. After two you're stuck in a wheelchair. At 58 he didn't want to risk it. To the best of my knowledge he is still walking with some pain on the replacement 10 years later.

 

[boykinlp]

I have a friend that had a hip implant failure. He was relatively young, around 50, when he had to get it. He was a high school football coach and very active. You can imagine what his job could require athletically if he wanted to try it. And, try it, he did. He would run with his players on occasion. He would act as a blocking dummy at times. He would show receivers how to run routes correctly. He stressed his implant quite a bit, with no problems for a year or two. Then, one summer afternoon, he was getting out of his pool, like the "in shape, athletic" people do. You know what it looks like. You put your hands on the side of the pool, quickly lifting yourself up until your foot is on the side of the pool, and you stand up, with most of your weight on that leg. Hopefully, y'all can tell what I am describing. Anyway, he had done it many times since his hip replacement, but this time the ball joint gave way.

He had it redone, started acting more his age, and has had no problems since.
Larry

 

[gjgalligan]

I use to work with a guy whose wife had a hip replaced but her body soon rejected it. They replaced it with a ceramic version. A few days after that surgery they went to take her to Xray and as they slide her from the bed to take to Xray they actually heard the hip break!
They finally put in a human hip out of a cadaver and she seemed to do ok with it.

 

[S&WIowegan]

One of my sister-in-laws who was a large heavy woman(RIP) had both hip joints replaced. They became infected so she had the surgery done again and was required to take antibiotics ever after.

Her son happens to be a detail man for a major producer of joint replacements. Lots of these are done every year plus lots of knee replacements. I think the surgery is problematic for people who are of advanced age.

 

[Golddollar]

Her son happens to be a detail man for a major producer of joint replacements. Lots of these are done every year plus lots of knee replacements. I think the surgery is problematic for people who are of advanced age.

I resemble that remark!

 

[Racer X]

Daughter is a Med. Surg. RN, told me there is a doctor that does 10-12 hip replacements a Day! in the hospital she works in. He uses the front access method and takes about 12-13 hours to do them all. Shorter recovery time for patients .

yup. my left was done dec 2013. front approach. many women prefer the flank approach as the scar is usually covered by a swim suit.

I'm seeing a surgeon next week about replacing the right one now. I'm only 56, but because of hip displaysia, been on borrowed time since birth.

 

[hsguy]

I am amazed by the Anterior Replacement method, usually done outpatient and you are walking the next day. Almost all the people I talk with who had a hip replaced echo the same refrain, "I should have done this years ago". As with any medical decision it is very personal so get the best advice you can before making your decision. Best to stay off Dr Google as 3 or 4 clicks usually lead to a death sentence.

For Anterior Hip Replacement patients, however, hip precautions are unnecessary. Because the muscles are not cut, the risk of dislocation is greatly lessened enabling the patient much more freedom of movement after surgery. Rehabilitation is much faster for patients as well due to less muscle trauma during the surgery.
Common post-operative guidelines after Anterior Hip Replacement include the following:
You may bend your hip immediately after surgery and bear full weight when comfortable.

 

[Racer X]

though, I did start to come out of the anesthesia part way through the operation, and the power tools wizzing and the clattering of the big metal tools sounded like a very active auto body shop. They realized I could hear it and back out I went. Someone dropped something suspiciously big wrench-like on the floor. They must have at least blown the dirt off, because I'm not dead......

My partner gets her new knee next month, I get a hip a month or two after that.

 

[bearfoot]

left hip was bone to bone when i had it replaced. was 326 lbs. when i had the operation. now 215 lbs soaking wet.

 

[hemiram]

I'm hurting bad a lot of the time, starving myself to get down to where they want me to be for the surgery. The pain shot I had for it lasted two whole weeks, and it was pure hell getting it. If I don't take an Ibuprofin every 12 hours, it's pure hell. I can feel my hip popping in and out/clicking when I walk. One of the weird things about it is how the pain goes up and down seemingly at random. I got up tonight to take a shower, and it wasn't bad. Pain a 2 out of 10 most of the time. Afterwards, I'm getting dressed and putting on my left sock and shoe is a "How bad is it going to be this time?". Well, it was really bad. I left for work and during the walk to the elevator in my building, it was a 6-7 out of ten. I got downstairs, and got my mail. Stood still 15 seconds, maybe. Walked out to my car, pain going up/down randomly from an 8 to a 1. Got into the car, 5 minutes later, get out of car, pain is a 1 or 2 walking into work. Sitting here, pain is zero, unless I move just a certain way, then it's a 6. I'm wearing pants that I couldn't not too long ago, so I guess I'm headed the right way, but wow, I want this over with!