Blood metal ion levels can identify hip replacement patients at low risk of ARMD
Using implant-specific cutoff points resulted in fewer missed cases of ARMD compared to using fixed thresholds currently recommended by US and UK regulatory authorities, according to the report by Gulraj S. Matharu BSc(Hons), MRCS, MRes, DPhil of University of Oxford and colleagues. Their findings offer a refined approach to predicting the risk of ARMD i n patients with two widely used types of metal-on-metal hip replacements: the Birmingham Hip Resurfacing (BHR) implant and the Corail-Pinnacle implant. Blood Metal Ion Levels Identify Patients at Low Risk of ARMD Patients can develop adverse reactions to the metal debris generated from the implant surfaces sliding over each other in the artificial joint. Measuring levels of chromium and cobalt ions in the blood -- reflecting the presence of small particles from the worn implant surfaces -- is recommended as part of patient follow-up for early detection of ARMD. However, there is no agreement as to the specific blood metal ion lev...