Metal allergies

@mab1226 I'm sorry you are dealing with this situation. What symptoms led you to be tested? How and by whom was your allergy diagnosed?
How to proceed? First find a doc skilled in revision surgey, then find one familiar with implants safe for you.

Sorry to say, there is no registry of doctors with the skills you need. You need to find a surgeon who specializes in revisions, perhaps begin by calling teaching hospitals in a large city near you and ask who does revisions there. Or search for orthopedic group practices that give a bio for each doctor. When reading the bios, look for keywords like revision or complex cases. A third way is to ask a good physical therapist who they know who does revisions.
Sadly, you are in for some "leg work" to find care, unless the original surgeon has a suggestion.

To the best of my knowledge, I am not allergic to metals. Every surgeon selects, for regular use, a particular robot and implant. Metal allergies aside, I don't think it normally makes much of a difference and one should use a surgeon who is vastly experienced at the procedure.

One of the major companies, Smith & Nephew, makes an implant that is made of oxidized zirconium and it is allegedly biocompatible. The Journey II system. My surgeon uses the Smith & Nephew products all the time for total knee replacements (full disclosure, he is one of the software developers for the CORI robot but he disclosed that to me before the surgery) so I received one of them.

I went to the company's web site and there is a find a specialist link there. You can enter your zip code, enter 50 miles for range, and see which surgery specialists show up. That could be a starting point.

I also asked Google about Kentucky surgeons who do biocompatible replacements. This is its AI answer:

"Kentucky has several highly trained orthopedic surgeons who specialize in complex knee revision surgeries and regularly utilize biocompatible, hypoallergenic options—such as Smith & Nephew’s Oxinium (oxidized zirconium) or pure titanium—for patients with metal sensitivities. Standard knee implants rely on cobalt-chromium, which contains nickel and can cause pain, loosening, or immune reactions in sensitive individuals.
When contacting these providers, explicitly request a consultation regarding hypoallergenic or biocompatible materials (like Oxinium or titanium-coated implants) for a revision procedure.
Orthopedic Revision Surgeons in Kentucky
• Dr. Reid B. Brown, MD: Location: Louisville, KY
Specialty: Complex revision surgery and joint reconstruction. Notably, Dr. Brown is a designated consultant for Smith & Nephew Orthopaedics, the medical technology company that manufactures the Legion Oxinium Knee—one of the industry's leading nickel-free, highly biocompatible implant lines.
• Dr. Stephen Duncan, MD: Location: Lexington, KY
Specialty: Professor and Fellowship Director of Adult Reconstruction at the University of Kentucky. He specializes heavily in complex, repeat, and failed primary joint revisions. He requires patients to provide their original primary operative notes so he can tailor the revision materials to their specific anatomy and biological compatibility needs.
• Dr. Christian P. Christensen, MD: Location: Lexington, KY
Specialty: A national pioneer in joint reconstruction who is actively involved in advanced implant design. He specializes in complex revision surgery for failed or loosened primary implants and is a leading expert on cementless and specialized component technologies.
• Dr. Brian Kern, MD: Location: Paducah, KY
Specialty: Provides highly specialized diagnosis, component analysis, and individualized operative planning for revision knee replacements across Western Kentucky.
• Dr. Tharun Karthikeyan, MD: Location: Lexington, KY
Specialty: Board-certified surgeon specializing in complex and revision adult reconstruction. He has performed over 7,000 replacement surgeries and utilizes state-of-the-art robotic-assisted systems to precisely align custom, non-traditional implant materials.
Biocompatible Implant Options for Revisions
During a revision, your surgeon replaces components from the failing primary implant. If your revision is driven by a suspected metal allergy or localized tissue reaction, the following biocompatible materials are standard solutions:
• Oxidized Zirconium (Oxinium): Transformed into a smooth ceramic surface, this material possesses the strength of metal without any detectable nickel, eliminating the primary driver of metal hypersensitivity.
• Titanium Alloy: Highly bio-friendly and structurally flexible (mimicking natural bone), pure titanium or titanium-polyethylene combinations are used specifically as safe alternatives for patients reactive to cobalt or chromium.
• Hypoallergenic Coatings: Certain revision systems use standard components that are vacuum-layered with protective biocompatible coatings like Zirconium Nitride (ZrN) or Titanium Nitride (TiN) to isolate the underlying metal from body"

I believe that surgeon selection is critical. So I would use this as a starting point but not an end point. Do a lot of research and locate not only a revision surgeon who uses the right materials for you but is a great surgeon as well.