Cobalt and Chromium Metal Poisoning from Hip Replacements

Reaction to cobalt and chromium debris from metal on metal hip replacement

Heavy metal poisoning is a risk factor for anyone who has a metal on metal (MoM) hip implant.  Corrosion from microscopic metal particles in your bloodstream could trigger a hypersensitive immune response in your body.

Your doctor or surgeon will most likely test your blood for metal toxicity. If you have a MoM hip implant and have not gotten bloodwork done yet, you should ask your doctor about it right away.

What Is Considered a High Level of Chromium and Cobalt?

It’s important to remember that slightly elevated metal levels are normal for patients who have metal on metal hip implants, but excessively elevated levels are very alarming.  DePuy Orthopedics, Inc. released a report stating that concentrations greater than 7 parts per billion of cobalt and/or chromium are of concern. The Mayo Clinic has set a much lower reference value for blood testing, listed below.

Interpreting the Results

Laboratories, research studies, and other reports about metal ion release often use different measurements. That makes it confusing for patients to compare and understand their own test results.  The good news is that most of these measurements are equivalent and represent the same thing:

What Should I Do If I Have Elevated Metal Levels?

See your orthopedic surgeon and primary care physician immediately.  This is a situation that requires long-term medical monitoring. If your concentration of cobalt and chromium remains above a safe level, your doctor will probably recommend a MARS MRI and/or ultrasound and more testing.  If not, you may want to request these advanced tests from your doctor, even if you don’t have any symptoms.

What if I Don’t Have Any Symptoms?

Often there are no immediate physical signs of a problem, but the hidden damage that these metals can do to your body is traumatic.  The earlier you get medical care, the better. Read more about the different types of adverse reactions below.

Adverse Reaction to Metal Debris (ARMD)

ARMD describes general complications to metal debris in the body from corrosion in a metal on metal (MoM) hip implant.

The researcher who coined the term “ARMD” used it to describe all the different types of soft tissue damage found in patients with MoM hips, including metallosis, pseudotumors, and ALVAL.

Our Extensive Legal Experience in Metal on Metal Hip Litigation

➨ Maglio Christopher & Toale, P.A. is one of only a handful of law firms in the nation that has reviewed the millions of discovery documents involved in this type of litigation. Other law firms contact our attorneys for advice on these types of cases.

➨ Our attorneys have personally questioned under oath dozens of orthopedic hip manufacturer’s employees from all over the world, including surgeons, designers, marketing executives, and corporate CEOs.

➨ In 2008 Maglio Christopher & Toale, P.A. filed the first lawsuit in the United States against a manufacturer of the current generation of defective metal-on-metal hip replacements. Ever since we have been at the forefront of litigation against the makers of these defective medical devices across the United States.

➨ We have developed contacts within the orthopedic community, an understanding of how that community works, and we have extensive medical and technical knowledge about defective orthopedic hip replacements.

➨ Our attorneys are aggressively and actively litigating defective metal on metal hip cases through the U.S. state and federal court systems.  We are not waiting for a settlement that may never come because our clients need help now.

Talk to Us Now About Your MoM Hip Situation

Meet Our Metal on Metal Hip Legal Team

MCT Law has focused its practice on defective hip replacement cases for over a decade.  Our attorneys aggressively litigate these cases for clients across the entire country.  We are a national law firm, and can represent you in any state or US protectorate.