Progress and updates - DePuy recall and the Bone Bank

by Pamela
(Hip Replacement and Recovery)

Delays

I'm a bit disappointed not to be able to show you the new look for the site yet - not even on one page but life just didn't go quite as planned. Hopefully I'll get the finished version back from the designer tomorrow so I can start uploading a few pages over the weekend. It's going to be a slow job transferring over 120 pages but I'm going to use it as an opportunity to update and refine some of them and, importantly, to start adding graphics.

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DePuy Recall Update

The main news in the hip replacement world is still the DePuy recall which has affected patients throughout the world. The following products have been recalled: -

• ASR acetabular cups - used in resurfacing or total hip replacement


• ASR surface replacement heads - only used for hip resurfacing


• ASR XL femoral heads - used in total hip replacement

Instructions have been sent to all surgeons asking them to inform all affected patients and schedule a follow-up visit. So, if your surgeon used one of these products on you, the hospital will be contacting you. If you don't want to wait - or have any doubts about them being organise enough to get in touch-? then do contact your surgeon directly. It is recalls like this that emphasise the importance of having a national joint registry.

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Physio

My legs definitely didn't enjoy being introduced to my new physiotherapy routine and, I hate to confess it but, I've not been great at keeping to my schedule. I've got a ton of excuses to offer but I know none of them really hold water! So today is my day to restart (again) and to make sure there is sufficient time built into my day to do my exercises properly.

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Bone Bank - update

Finally I have done a bit of updating to the bone bank article I wrote last week. It seems that only 45 of the UK hospitals arrange for bone donation - the reason for the others not participating are resources, licensing and cost.
The NHS Blood and Transfusion service supplies over 2,500 femoral heads per year. A whole industry I knew nothing about.

The reasons you may not be asked to donate are complex. Given that your hospital actually collects femoral heads (and only a minority do) you have to satisfy the same criteria as for other tissue donations. I'd fail on the osteoporosis count.

Other reasons are to do with the possibility of any sexually transmitted infections (and the rules about who you shouldn't have had sex with and the type of sex you shouldn't have had are quite complex). Other conditions like cancer, Hep B and Hep C, syphillis are also included and no one can donate who has had a blood transfusion since 1980.

That's all for this week
Sending you all my very best wishes