2010 Risk of complication and revision total hip arthroplasty among Medicare patients with different bearing surfaces CORR Open Access

Description: Questions/purposes We compared the short-term risk of complication and revision THA among Medicare patients having a primary THA with metal-polyethylene (M-PE), metal-metal (M-M), and ceramic-ceramic (C-C) bearings.
Conclusions The risk of short-term complication (including dislocation) and revision THA were similar among appropriately matched Medicare THA patients regardless of bearing surface. Hard-on-hard THA bearings are of questionable value in Medicare patients, given the higher cost associated with their use and uncertain long-term benefits in older patients.
Risk of complication and revision total hip arthroplasty among Medicare patients with different bearing surfaces. Bozic KJ, Ong K, Lau E, Kurtz SM, Vail TP, Rubash HE, Berry DJ. Clin Orthop Relat Res. 2010 Sep;468(9):2357-62. (full text)