Acute delayed infection: Increased risk in failed metal on metal total hip arthroplasty

Adverse local tissue reactions occurring in metal-on-metal total hip arthroplasty (MoM THA) could potentially lead to secondary failure modes such as dislocation or infection. The authors report a series of 124 patients treated with MoM hip arthroplasty between 2006 and 2010 with a minimum follow-up of 3years. Eight hips presented with acute delayed or late periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) (defined as an infection occurring after 3months in an otherwise well functioning implant). The rate of infection observed was higher than expected, almost 4 times higher (5.6%) compared to previous historical cohorts from our institution (1.3%). This high risk of infection in patients with DePuy ASR implants requires further study but we theorize that the increased prevalence of infection could be due to a combination of particulate debris, molecular (rather than particulate) effects of Co and Cr ions on soft tissues, and/or products of corrosion that may change the local environment predisposing to infection.