Cobalt levels in blood

Medicine cannot clear the chromium and cobalt from the blood. And it will continue to rise as long as the metal hips are there. The metal hips must be removed, and replaced with ones not made from chromium and cobalt. There can be very serious results from too much metal in your blood, and some of the damage can be permanent.
Sue

I have to have hip revision surgery. Tests indicate a cobalt level of 7. Should I be really worried about this?

I have to have hip revision surgery. Tests indicate a cobalt level of 7. Should I be really worried about this?

I Had a Cobalt level of 8.9 and after the first revision, it was still at 3.9. There are articles on the long term effects of Cobalt that you can research. What my experience has shown is that there is a lack of knowledge by the medical community regarding the systemic damage that may occur.
Best of luck in getting the answers that you need.

Can you tell us a little about the implants you have, and why they need to be removed?
Also, yes, it is concerning. But the very good news is that once the metal implants are removed, your body begins to eliminate the cobalt and chromium all by itself. Within 6 months to a year it will be back to normal.

Whether you have any permanent issues from it probably depends on how long the implants have been shedding metal, and how severely. The records that showed my pre-surgery metal leves are no longer available, but the numbers were much higher than yours, and I have recovered with minimal long-term effects.
Sue

Hello, and welcome to Mayo Connect. We are patients and caregivers who share our experiences. Mine was with a different brand of hip, and required replacement of both implants of 5 years to restore my health.

I have recently learned that how blood is tested can impact the results. The "gold standard" is to test the serum, not whole blood, for metal levels. Chromium should also be tested, and you should always have the same test, using the same lab.
Here is what I found about cobalt levels:
"Cobalt levels are determined by micrograms per liter of blood. If a patient has between 1-5 micrograms per liter, he might experience heart and memory issues. If there are more than 7, the patient might feel hip pain and have either tissue necrosis or pseudotumors. "

So with your symptoms and heart history, you may need a new revision surgeon if the original one doesn't see that you have a problem. Also, additional imaging will show if there is damage to the tissue surrounding your hip.

Don't back off - you will need to be your own advocate in this matter, but it will take work.

What, exactly did the ortho say about your pain and/or metal levels? And it is important to get the exact name of your implants from him to figure out your next best steps, as it has been shown over time that some have a much higher risk level than others.
Sue

"Cobalt levels are determined by micrograms per liter of blood. If a patient has between 1-5 micrograms per liter, he might experience heart and memory issues. If there are more than 7, the patient might feel hip pain and have either tissue necrosis or pseudotumors. "

Hi Sue,
I am new to this forum. Thank you for the very helpful information you've provided. I'm having revision hip replacement surgery a week from today after an MRI revealed a very large pseudocyst which caused unilateral leg swelling. After seeing the MRI results, my primary doctor sent me to my orthopedic surgeon, who quickly scheduled the surgery. My original right hip replacement was done in 2009. I've had no problems. My surgeon is excellent and did both hip replacements and both knees. Like your surgeon, mine used a DePuy implant which would last longer, as I was 56 years old. . . . A few days ago, after looking at your forum and a few journal articles, I asked to have my cobalt and chromium levels tested. Just got the cobalt results: 8.2 mg/L. I am curious about the above statement regarding levels. I do have idiopathic cardiomyopathy. (And I've had shortness of breath for a couple of years.) But an article I read from the Joint and Bone Research journal states that it would probably take levels about 250 mg/L to cause cardiomyopathy. When I read the above quotation, I was curious.

I haven't had any symptoms in my left hip, but I'm thinking now that it might be a matter of time.

I am most afraid of dislocation. I plan to strictly adhere to restrictions for the three months. I have wondered how common dislocation is after revision surgery.

At any rate, I am heartened by your story and look forward to being on the other side of this!

According to the surgeon who did the revision that resulted in dislocation, about 3 times as likely with the original THR. Mine was thought to have been caused by a "perfect storm" - revision, weaker that expected muscles due to tissue degradation from the metal (he had to remove quite a bit) and trying to correct a leg length imbalance caused by the original surgeon, when he did the revision on the first hip.
I have never felt unstable since the dislocation was repaired, over 12 years ago.
Sue