I had my knee replacement at the New England Baptist in Boston MA. Before the surgeon would consent to do the surgery, a form had to be filled out concerning an allergy to nickel. I always had problems with pierced earrings (ears becoming red and swollen) so I wrote that down on the form. He had me to to a specialized place that did allergy testing for metals and the bone cement that is used. The bone cement test came out fine, but the nickel allergy readings came out very high. The surgeon ordered the knee replacement from a place called “Smith and Nephew”. I don’t know anything about this manufacturer but I know that the replacement was free from nickel and metal. I think that it’s very important to have those metal allergy tests done before you consent to a replacement. MaryAnn from Boston