Over 200,000 joint replacement surgeries happen per year in the UK and around one in ten of these are revision surgeries – to remove and replace a failed or painful implant. Doctors will collect X-rays and patient data, but the implant itself is usually just thrown away.
There is a lot of information that can be learned from these discarded implants, about how these devices perform and importantly how they fail. This lost knowledge is much more valuable than the cost of the medical grade alloys we put in the bin. Implant analysis could show us how implants fail and highlight trends, inform device design, and boost patient care. If you are undergoing revision surgery to replace a hip, knee, or other joint implant, you have a unique opportunity to help future patients.
What we are doing
We have established a dedicated centre to capture these implants and their “real-world” performance data. Using advanced engineering analysis (electron microscopy, profilometry, and tribology) at the University of Birmingham we will evaluate failure modes and link them to patient demographics and National Joint Registry data.
How it works
We have streamlined the process to minimise disruption to surgical flow and have zero impact on patient care:
- Identification: Implant revision cases will be identified by a dedicated research team within ROH
- Consent: Your dedicated Research Nurse will go through a consenting procedure for the collection of your failed implant as part of pre-surgery preparation
- Retrieval: At the time of surgery the removed implant will be placed in a sealed bio-hazard container
- Transfer: The research team will then handle transportation of the implant to the dedicated research laboratories at the University of Birmingham, School of Engineering
Why participate?
We aim to consent >50% of patients undergoing implant removal, collecting and analysing ~100 explanted devices each year. All revisions are valuable, including early and late-stage infection cases:
- Performance Feedback: Your implant analysis will feed into a database to identify safety issues, and your surgeon can request a report on your implant
- Improve Patient Care: The centre will help identify poor-performing classes of implants faster than registry reporting alone
- Influence Design: The knowledge gained by studying retrieved implants will directly inform R&D with manufacturers to engineer longer-lasting devices through new designs and better testing
Frequently Asked Questions
Will donating affect my medical care?
No. Your surgery, treatment, and recovery will remain exactly the same. The only difference is that the retrieved implant components are saved at the point of surgery for research, rather than disposed of.
What happens to my personal information?
We take your privacy very seriously. Your implant is given a unique code and linked to a pseudo-anonymised clinical data pack (how long you had the implant, why it needed replacing, any pre-surgery imaging). All personal identifiers are removed to ensure your data is anonymised before it reaches the engineering team at UoB.
What will you do with my implant?
Our team will sterilise and clean the retrieved components before inspecting the implant, assess degradation, and understand why it failed. We look for evidence of wear and damage, microscopic scratches, corrosion, or material changes. This information, and your anonymised data pack, helps us understand the “wear and tear” the implant experienced whilst in use.
What happens to my implant after the analysis?
We will store your retrieved implant in our labs for a period of at least five years, after which it may be disposed of appropriately.
Can I change my mind?
Yes. Through your surgeon / care team at ROH you can request for your information and retried implant to be removed from the study at any point.