http://www.hiprecalllaw.com/ - Hypersensitivity to medical implants such as dentures, pacemakers, and hip prostheses may be developed at a later time, after prolonged exposure to the material of the device, orthopedic journals say. More at http://www.hiprecalllaw.com/updates/a-group-of-hip-replacement-recipients-in-the-u-k-file-lawsuits-against-depuy/

2. Hypersensitivity to medical implants such as dentures,
pacemakers, and hip prostheses may be developed at a
later time, after prolonged exposure to the material of
the device, orthopedic journals say. It is one of the
many reasons why modern hip replacement devices fail
and need to be revised. In fact, because of
complications related to hip implants, many people such
as the group of metal hip
recipients in the UK have filed lawsuits against DePuy,
one of the top medical device manufacturers.

3. Most common symptoms that may signify that
the body is rejecting the implant include skin
rashes, inflammation, and an increase in the
intensity of pain. Sometimes, an elevated body
temperature may also be manifested. According
to the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, cobalt
and chromium allergy account for five percent of
the total number of hip replacement failures. With
this, doctors and patients should be wary in
monitoring all possible symptoms that suggest an
allergic reaction to these materials.

4. These reactions are mostly blamed on the metallic
debris that sloughs off the surfaces of the hip implant
over time. Even when metals are more durable than any
other material for implants, it is still susceptible for
corrosion especially after a prolonged use or when
proper hip precautions are not observed. When these
metallic fragments are released into the blood stream,
serum metal ion levels increase and may cause
systemic toxicity.

5. Locally, metallic debris can also be deposited in
the tissues surrounding the implant. This may
cause swelling, limited range of motion, and
displacement of the device.

6. To correct these, some parts or the entire device
may have to be removed and replaced
depending on the severity of the allergic
reactions. Although many patients have
experienced better results when the entire hip
prosthesis was removed, this procedure may
predispose both the femur and the pelvis to
injuries. With hip replacement revisions, recovery
may take a relatively long time.

7. To avoid this, skin tests are performed prior to
the procedure. However, this may not be entirely
reliable because the deep tissues may have a
different reaction to the implant. Closely
monitoring for any allergic or any other related
symptoms and undergoing annual tests to check
placement of the device and track chromium or
cobalt levels in the blood are recommended by
the Food and Drug Administration for metallic
hip replacement recipients.

8. At present, the safety of metal-on-metal hip
prosthesis systems are still under review,
because of the increasing number of surgical
revisions. These incidences have also brought
many manufacturers to discontinue the
production and distribution of the defective hip
implants that were reported by many to be
causing damaging effects. For this reason, all
metallic hip implant recipients should be familiar
with the hip recall law.

9. Source:
http://wallinside.com/post-1897255.html
References:
emedicine.medscape.com/article/1230696-
overview
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2823320/
jbjs.org/article.aspx?articleid=27526
orthopedics.about.com/od/orthopedicsinformati
on/f/metalallergy.htm