Does modularity of metal-on-metal hip implants increase cobalt: chromium ratio?

BACKGROUND: Blood metal ion levels are used in the surveillance of metal-on-metal (MoM) hip implants. Modular implants contain an extra source of metal debris that may affect the ratio of metal ions in the blood. METHODS: This was a retrospective study of 503 patients with hip replacements made by a single manufacturer (Smith & Nephew, Warwick, UK) with the same bearing surface. There were 54 total hip arthroplasties, 35 Birmingham Mid-Head Resections and 414 hip resurfacings. Whole blood metal ion levels and their ratios were analysed to investigate the effect of a modular junction. RESULTS: The cobalt:chromium ratios were greater in the total hip arthroplasty group (mean 2.3:1) when compared to the resurfacings group (mean 1.3:1, p = <0.05) and Birmingham Mid-Head Resection group (mean 1.1:1, p = 0.11). CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated a trend for a higher cobalt:chromium ratio in patients with MoM total hip replacement that may be due to metal debris from the modular stem-head junction. Further work is required to correlate clinical data with retrieval analysis to confirm the effect of taper material loss on the cobalt:chromium ratio.

Update on Extensively Drug-Resistant Salmonella Serotype Typhi Infections Among Travelers to or from Pakistan and Report of Ceftriaxone-Resistant Salmonella Serotype Typhi Infections Among Travelers to Iraq - United States, 2018-2019.

Ceftriaxone-resistant Salmonella enterica serotype Typhi (Typhi), the bacterium that causes typhoid fever, is a growing public health threat. Extensively drug-resistant (XDR) Typhi is resistant to ceftriaxone and other antibiotics used for treatment, including ampicillin, chloramphenicol, ciprofloxacin, and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (1). In March 2018, CDC began enhanced surveillance for ceftriaxone-resistant Typhi in response to an ongoing outbreak of XDR typhoid fever in Pakistan. CDC had previously reported the first five cases of XDR Typhi in the United States among patients who had spent time in Pakistan (2). These illnesses represented the first cases of ceftriaxone-resistant Typhi documented in the United States (3). This report provides an update on U.S. cases of XDR typhoid fever linked to Pakistan and describes a new, unrelated cluster of ceftriaxone-resistant Typhi infections linked to Iraq. Travelers to areas with endemic Typhi should receive typhoid vaccination before traveling and adhere to safe food and water precautions (4). Treatment of patients with typhoid fever should be guided by antimicrobial susceptibility testing whenever possible (5), and clinicians should consider travel history when selecting empiric therapy.

Antibiotic-loaded bone cement is associated with a lower risk of revision following primary cemented total knee arthroplasty: an analysis of 731,214 cases using National Joint Registry data.

AIMS: Antibiotic-loaded bone cements (ALBCs) may offer early protection against the formation of bacterial biofilm after joint arthroplasty. Use in hip arthroplasty is widely accepted, but there is a lack of evidence in total knee arthroplasty (TKA). The objective of this study was to evaluate the use of ALBC in a large population of TKA patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data from the National Joint Registry (NJR) of England and Wales were obtained for all primary cemented TKAs between March 2003 and July 2016. Patient, implant, and surgical variables were analyzed. Cox proportional hazards models were used to assess the influence of ALBC on risk of revision. Body mass index (BMI) data were available in a subset of patients. RESULTS: Of 731 214 TKAs, 15 295 (2.1%) were implanted with plain cement and 715 919 (97.9%) with ALBC. There were 13 391 revisions; 2391 were performed for infection. After adjusting for other variables, ALBC had a significantly lower risk of revision for any cause (hazard ratio (HR) 0.85, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.77 to 0.93; p < 0.001). ALBC was associated with a lower risk of revision for all aseptic causes (HR 0.85, 95% CI 0.77 to 0.95; p < 0.001) and revisions for infection (HR 0.84, 95% CI 0.67 to 1.01; p = 0.06). The results were similar when BMI was added into the model, and in a subanalysis where surgeons using only ALBC over the entire study period were excluded. Prosthesis survival at ten years for TKAs implanted with ALBC was 96.3% (95% CI 96.3 to 96.4) compared with 95.5% (95% CI 95.0 to 95.9) in those implanted with plain cement. On a population level, where 100 000 TKAs are performed annually, this difference represents 870 fewer revisions at ten years in the ALBC group. CONCLUSION: After adjusting for a range of variables, ALBC was associated with a significantly lower risk of revision in this registry-based study of an entire nation of primary cemented knee arthroplasties. Using ALBC does not appear to increase midterm implant failure rates. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2019;101-B:1331-1347.

Frequent femoral neck osteolysis with Birmingham mid-head resection resurfacing arthroplasty in young patients.

BACKGROUND: Mid-head resection total hip resurfacing arthroplasty was promoted as an alternative to traditional total hip resurfacing for patients with poor femoral head bone quality or abnormal femoral head morphology, because those patients are at high risk of failure with traditional total hip resurfacing. It is a large-headed metal-on-metal device that uses a short, bone-conserving stem. Good performance of the implant has been reported at short-term followup, but no information on the implant performance in the mid- or long-term is available. QUESTIONS/PURPOSES: In this study, we report (1) on the mid-term implant survivorship and hip scores in a single nondesigner surgeon series. Because of the occurrence of femoral neck osteolysis and pseudotumor in a subgroup of patients, we also investigated the following: (2) Were there any preoperative parameters that are associated with osteolysis? (3) Could we differentiate the osteolysis group from the others on the basis of implant component sizes, positions, and radiologic parameters? (4) Could we differentiate the osteolysis group from the others on the basis of metal ion levels? METHODS: Between 2006 and 2011, one surgeon performed a total of 49 Birmingham Mid-head Resection total hip resurfacing arthroplasties in 47 patients. The general indications for this procedure were young patients who were considered suitable for hip resurfacing arthroplasty but had avascular necrosis, large cysts, or severe deformity of the femoral head. Clinical followup including Oxford Hip Score (OHS) and UCLA hip scores were available preoperatively and at a mean of 6 years (range, 3-8 years) on all patients (100%), radiographic followup on 45 of 47 (96%), MRIs on 18 (38%), and metal ion levels on 37 (79%). Mean age at surgery was 50 years. Spearman's correlation was used to test the association between femoral neck osteolysis and preoperative parameters, implant component sizes and positions, and blood metal ion levels. RESULTS: We found 100% survival. Patients' median OHS was 46 of 48 (range, 35-48) and UCLA 8 of 10 (range, 4-10). However, 16% of the hips (seven of 45) demonstrated osteolysis in the femoral neck. Of the preoperative parameters, the osteolysis was associated with low weight (r = -0.337, p = 0.031) and to a lesser degree with female sex (r = 0.275, p = 0.067). Radiologically, the osteolysis was strongly associated with the presence of a pseudotumor on MRI (r = 0.663, p = 0.004). We could not differentiate the osteolysis group from the rest of the cohort on the basis of the implant sizes or radiographic implant component positions. The cohort's median whole blood cobalt was 1.77 ppb (range, 0.18-10.27 ppb) and chromium 1.88 ppb (range 0.36-10.09 ppb). There was no difference in the metal ion levels between the osteolysis group and the rest of the cohort. CONCLUSIONS: The high rate of silently developing femoral neck osteolysis associated with this implant is concerning and is expected to cause a high rate of failure at longer followup. We have instituted a program of annual clinical and radiologic followup for this group of patients. We have stopped implanting this device and recommend against its use. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV, therapeutic study.

Primary collared uncemented total hip arthroplasties in the elderly: a safe and reliable treatment option.

The age of patients undergoing primary Total Hip Arthroplasty (THA) remains fairly constant despite an increasingly elderly population, possibly owing to concern over postoperative complications. This study evaluated 90-day outcomes in patients over 80, undergoing uncemented collared primary THA for osteoarthritis in a high volume unit. Data were recorded from 153 consecutive patients. There were 0.65% mortality rate and 1.3% major systemic complication rate. American Society of Anesthesiologist (ASA) grade was an independent predictor of inpatient complications. Mean preoperative and 90-day postoperative Oxford Hip Score was 24 and 46 respectively. No radiological evidence of femoral stem migration was seen. Our cohort shows low morbidity and mortality rates. ASA not age helps predict inpatient complications. Uncemented collared femoral prosthesis resulted in excellent functional and radiological outcomes.