NICE WANTS LONGER LASTING HIPS (Orthopedics This Week)
The Brits, who first raised warnings about metal-on-metal hips, have issued a new draft guidance with stricter benchmarks for quality.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) issued the draft guidance on October 18, 2013. The guidance recommends that a new hip should work well in at least 95% of cases over 10 years.
NICE’s Professor Carole Longson commented, “Importantly, as we now have more information about how long artificial joints can last, we have recommended the use of prostheses with a proven lower revision rate. This means that a new joint should work well in at least 95% of cases over 10 years, so a revision may be needed in 5% or fewer cases over this period. Our existing guidance advises that prostheses should work well in at least 90% of cases, so repeat surgery may be needed in up to 10% of cases over 10 years.”
England’s Department of Health asked NICE to produce guidance on using total hip replacement and resurfacing arthroplasty in the National Health Service in England and Wales. The Appraisal Committee considered the evidence submitted and the views of non-manufacturer consultees and comm...
