Everyone who has joint replacement surgery knows the implant can wear out over time. But sometimes implants wear out more quickly than expected. In fact, some implants have design flaws that cause them to wear out even quicker than anticipated.
Unfortunately, we often are not aware of these design flaws until many patients have had problems. One of the reasons could be the lack of a national reporting system when problems are encountered. Joint registry databases are common in some countries, but not in the United States. Critic point out that having a database could prevent the implanting of bad joint replacements by allowing doctors to know as soon as possible when a problem occurs.
Should the U.S. have a National Joint Replacement Registry? Leave your comments!
Related: What is the best hip replacement implant? | Or best knee replacement implant?
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I wholeheartedly support a national data base for implant surgery. I had my first total hip replacement in 1990 at the age of 40, after a lifetime of chronic pain from undiagnosed congenital hip dysplasia. I was so thankful that my implants were without problem until last year. the plastic cracked on one of them. And I had to have a revision.
It just seems ethically correct to be able to obtain information about the success of implants, especially since there are many more younger folks requiring this surgery who have a lot of life ahead of them. If I was purchasing a new computer, I would want to know its performance record. Why shouldn’t I be able to get the same “consumer report” on a hip replacement.
This information should be available for patients, as well as doctors. While any surgery can have complications, replacement surgery for a defective/worn-out device increases risks involved. Insurance companies will probably say they want the cheapest–not necessarily the best. We all know WHO they are looking out for…
We have a national joint registry in the UK it logs all the operations and the implants used and the compliance rate by the hospitals. Patient’s can only see a small part of the data set.
I have a hip resurfacing product-similar in SOME ways to replacement. I wholeheartedly support a data base system for the United States.