Metal On Metal Hip Replacement Cobalt Levels

A diagnosis out of the blue by robert d.

Metal on metal hip replacement cobalt levels.

As hip replacements fail and metal flakes enter the body patients can suffer from cobalt toxicity elevated cobalt levels. Besides the symptoms associated with other forms of metallosis cobalt toxicity can cause patients to suffer from fever inflammation and low thyroid levels. What is considered a high level of chromium and cobalt. This year s international story of cobalt toxicity occurring from metal wear after total hip replacement surgery was first broken during a session at the acr winter symposium on jan.

Cobalt is a part of vitamin b12 needed to produce red blood cells. Really high metal levels are alarming. Metal on metal hip implants were often constructed with cobalt and chromium. Released a report saying that concentrations higher than 7 parts per billion ppb of cobalt and or chromium are of concern.

Average values in patients operated are 4 1 1 5 microg l for cobalt 0 3 0 1 microg l in the control group and 4 5 2 9 microg l for chromium 4 7 2 4 microg l in the control group. Two years after surgery cobalt levels had risen to 538 nmol l for mom patients and 57 for mop patients. Average cobalt levels before hip replacement surgery were 21 nmol l for mom patients and 19 nmol l for mop patients. Slightly elevated metal levels are normal for patients with metal on metal hip replacements.

One year after surgery average cobalt levels had risen to 417 nmol l for mom patients but only 33 nmol l for mop patients. Bunning md facp facr. The results obtained confirm the presence of an increase of cobalt inthe blood of patients after total hip replacement while the chromium levels are almost alike.