Women More Prone To Hip Implant Failure, Says Study

A new study suggests that women who underwent a hip replacement were 29 percent more likely than men to need a repeat surgery within the first three years.

The study also found that failure rate of metal-on-metal hips was almost twice as high for women as for men, according to the Associated Press. Women represent the majority of the 400,000 Americans who undergo hip implants annually.

Funded by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the research examined 35,000 surgeries at 46 hospitals in the Kaiser Permanente health system.

Several problems such as instability, infection, implant loosening, or broken bones led to the need to for a second surgery in patients. However, only 1.9 percent of men needed the revision surgery after about three years compared to 2.3 percent of the women, according to the study. Still, the risk of an implant failing was relatively slight.

One reason for women experiencing a higher rate of hip implant failure may be the greater loss of bone density in women, according to the AP article. In addition, the devices with smaller femoral heads had a higher risk of dislocating. Smaller hip replacement implants are often used in women because they have smaller joints and bones.

If you or a loved one has been harmed by a hip replacement device, contact Sokolove Law for a free legal consultation and to find out if a product liability lawyer may be able to help you.

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