Press Room
Surgeon's experience with hip resurfacing shows 1.3% complication rate
Dr. Edwin Su presented his experience with 3 different resurfacing devices at the 12th Annual EFORT congress in Copenhagen, Denmark. His study examined 925 hip resurfacings with a minimum of 2 year followup, using the Birmingham Hip Resurfacing, Conserve Plus, and Biomet Recap devices. Overall, there was a 1.3% revision rate.
The Kaplan-Meier survival curve for the procedure at 68 months, was 98.6%.
Read more about the study at the link below: www.orthosupersite.com
Read Dr. Su's comment in the latest article in the New York Times "Hip Surgery Option Loses a Key Backer"
In the article, Dr. Su defends the use of hip resurfacing in younger, active patients, citing the lower dislocation rate, higher activity level, and preservation of bone as prime reasons to perform the operation.
Advanced Hip Resurfacing Course 2010
 Dr. Edwin Su organized and chaired a course dedicated to hip resurfacing. The Continuing Medical Education (CME) accredited course took place at Hospital for Special Surgery on May 7-8, 2010. The purpose of the course was to educate surgeons about the latest updates and research occuring in the field of hip resurfacing, as well as to provide a forum for the faculty to exchange and discuss ideas.
The faculty consisted of pioneering leaders of hip resurfacing, hip replacement, biomechanics, and radiologists world-wide: Derek McMinn, Harlan Amstutz, Koen DeSmet, Vijay Bose, Tony Nargol, Bill Walter, Scott Cook, Robert Barrack, Don Garbuz, Josh Jacobs, John Keggi, Doug Padgett, Fritz Boettner, Hollis Potter, Don Bartel and Tim Wright. The course registrants included over 60 attendees from 10 different countries.
Faculty and participants discussed updated results of hip resurfacing from around the world, current research, and future directions in hip resurfacing implants. Dr. Su performed a live surgical demonstration of hip resurfacing in a challenging case of hip osteonecrosis, which Derek McMinn, the inventor of the Birmingham Hip Resurfacing, moderated.
At the 26th Annual Current Concepts in Joint Replacement Winter Meeting, Edwin P. Su, MD, described how surgeons can obtain good outcomes when converting a failed hip resurfacing to a total hip replacement (THR).
Read Dr. Su's response to the NY Times article "Concerns over 'Metal on Metal' Hip Implants" (March 4, 2010)
Dr. Su's response:
I have read and re-read this article with dismay. The writer has chosen to focus upon rare occurences of problems with metal on metal joints. Most of these problems are avoidable with good implant design and precise surgical technique. Nonetheless, I do think it is important for yearly checkups with me, x-rays of your hip,and blood metal level monitoring. I've written a letter in response below, but I fear they will not publish it, due to their preconceived biases.
Letter to the Editor
I would like to comment on the article entitled "Concerns over 'Metal on Metal' Hip Implants", dated March 4, 2010. As a hip surgeon who uses both metal on metal hip resurfacing and total hip replacement implants, I feel it is necessary to provide perspective on the issues raised in this article.
First of all, metal on metal hip replacements have a rich clinical history dating back to the 1970's. Cobalt and chromium have been in use in hip surgery for over 30 years because of their durability. In the last 5 years, the use of metal on metal hip replacements has increased because of the ability to create an artificial hip with a larger ball, allowing for a greater stability to the joint and a high activity level for patients.
While it is true that a metal on metal joint is less forgiving, the key point is that the implants must be properly positioned to ensure good function. Surgeons who are experienced with the use of metal on metal hip implants will have a low incidence of the problems described in the article. At Hospital for Special Surgery, we have performed over 2000 metal on metal hip resurfacings and replacements, with less than a 1% incidence of problems requiring revision surgery.
Secondly, all artificial joint materials are subject to the creation of debris; all debris material can be bioreactive, leading to tissue and bone damage. This is not unique to metal on metal hip implants, but can occur more rapidly if the implants are not positioned well. I have revised many more metal on polyethylene hips with tissue and bone damage, than metal on metal implants!
Finally, there are patients for whom a metal on metal hip implant may be a better choice than other materials. At present, all hip resurfacing devices consist of these metals. For these patients for whom bone preservation is paramount, the metal surfaces are the only option.
I believe that focusing upon the rare, negative aspects of metal on metal hip implants without highlighting the benefits, is a case of "throwing the baby out with the bathwater".
"Improved materials, techniques for hip resurfacing may correct past problems"
Orthpedics Today May 2009
Dr. Su lecture at Current Concepts in Joint Replacement about the improvements in the current generation of hip resurfacing.
"Doubts raised over new type of hip surgery"
Wall Street Journal, June 4, 2009
Dr. Su is interviewed about his opinion on hip resurfacing in women, which he continues to perform.
"Rebuilding your body"
Newsweek, July 3, 2006
www.newsweek.com
Dr. Su is quoted on the increasing number of joint replacements done in the US
 "For women, red flags about a hip device"
NY Times, November 8, 2008
www.nytimes.com
Dr. Su is asked his opinion about the results of hip resurfacing in women
"New York Magazine Best Hospitals 2006"
New York Magazine, 2006
HIP REPLACEMENT
Hospital for Special Surgery
 Hip replacement is now the safest and one of the most common types of joint-replacement surgery-about 330,000 procedures are performed in the United States each
year-thanks in good measure to advances in the procedure pioneered at the HSS. The 270 doctors at the hospital replaced 2,608 hips last year-more than any other facility in the country-while maintaining safety standards that have been singled out as industry-leading by everyone from the NIH to the Consumers' Research Council of America to the AARP. The average length of stay for a single hip replacement at HSS is 4.48 days (that's considered excellent), and its strict adherence to surgical-infection-prevention measures earned it the No. 1 ranking in the area from the New York State Department of Health. Dr. Thomas Sculco has pioneered a smaller-incision hip-surgery technique that can minimize pain, side effects, and recovery time, and Dr. Edwin Su is one of the first surgeons in the country to do hip resurfacing, a new procedure that preserves the joint by using an innovative metal implant.
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