Increased risk of wear and corrosion identified with certain cobalt chrome modular neck hip replacements

We use some essential cookies to make this website work. We’d like to set additional cookies to understand how you use GOV.UK, remember your settings and improve government services. We also use cookies set by other sites to help us deliver content from their services. You have accepted additional cookies. You can change your cookie settings at any time. You have rejected additional cookies. You can change your cookie settings at any time. While most patients implanted with these hip replacements have well-functioning hips and are unlikely to develop serious problems, a small number may develop issues. A review by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has identified increased risks of wear and corrosion associated with certain cobalt-chrome modular neck hip replacements. As a precautionary measure, NHS trusts and hospitals are being advised to identify patients with these devices and invite them for a clinical review to inform them of the potential risks and discuss whether ongoing monitoring is required based on their symptoms or clinical findings. The advice applies to hip replacement constructs using cobalt-chrome dual taper modular neck components manufactured by: Aesculap AG (Metha modular) LimaCorporate (H-Max-M) Smith and Nephew (SMF) Stryker (ABG II modular) Symbios (HARMONY modular and SPS modular) The affected devices were available in the UK between 2007 and 2019, and the available data suggests around 750 patients currently have these particular hip replacements implanted. These devices are no longer available in the UK. For context, more than 100,000 hip replacements of all types are performed in the UK each year. While most patients implanted with these hip replacements have well-functioning hips and are unlikely to develop serious problems, a small number may develop problems in the tissues around the hip that could lead to the need for revision surgery. “If you have an affected hip replacement device implanted, you should expect to be contacted by your surgeon or implanting hospital for a clinical assessment as soon as practically possible. There is no need for you to contact your surgeon or implanting hospital directly. “Anyone experiencing new or unexpected symptoms, including pain, stiffness, or instability related to any implant should speak to their surgeon or the hospital where their surgery was performed. Please also report it to the MHRA via the Yellow Card scheme or the Incident Reporting & Investigation Centre if you are in Scotland.” In the meantime, if patients experience any new or unexpected symptoms including pain, stiffness, or instability, they should speak to their implanting surgeon or the hospital where their surgery was performed in the first instance. This latest action follows an MHRA review of Profemur cobalt-chrome modular neck hip replacements, published in 2025 , which identified increased risks of wear, corrosion and device fracture associated with those devices. Following that work, the MHRA reviewed all other cobalt-chrome dual taper modular neck hip replacement systems that have been available on the UK market. The review found that rates of revision surgery linked to metal wear varied between different implant systems. It also identified potential increased risks of wear and corrosion associated with the additional interfaces present in these designs. In some cases, this may cause reactions in the tissue around the implant and lead to revision surgery. The MHRA did not find evidence of a higher-than-expected rate of device fracture among the implant systems covered by this review. Based on the available evidence, the review concluded that all patients with the potentially affected devices should be followed up. For more information, visit: Cobalt-chrome modular neck hip replacements: risk of metal-wear effects and revision surgery (DSI/2026/010) - GOV.UK This DSI follows the MHRA’s 2025 review of Profemur cobalt-chrome modular neck hip replacements (DSI/2