The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has issued advice to surgeons to stop using a particular combination of metal-on-metal total hip replacements because it has a high revision rate compared with other implants.
The MHRA has also advised surgeons to closely monitor patients with this combination of implants. This advice is included in a new MHRA Medical Device Alert that has been issued to clinicians for the management of patients with the Mitch TRH cup/heads, made by Finsbury Orthopaedics, used in combination with Accolade femoral stems made by Stryker Orthopaedics. Surgeons are being advised to stop using this combination of hip replacements because information from the England and Wales National Joint Registry (NJR) shows that it has an unacceptably high revision rate of 10.7% after four years of implantation. Dr Susanne Ludgate, clinical director of the MHRA, said: “The majority of patients implanted with metal-on-metal hip replacements have well functioning hips and are at a low risk of developing any serious problems. Patients with metal-on-metal hip replacements should already be regularly monitored by their clinician. Analysis has shown that the revision rate for this combination of implant is unacceptably high. This is why we have advised surgeons to stop using this combination and to monitor their patients closely.”
