Hip-replacement device withdrawn by Smith & Nephew

The hip replacement system has been voluntarily withdrawn by Smith & Nephew, the medical device maker, because it required too many follow-up operations.

Smith & Nephew withdrew the 46mm devices from its Birmingham Hip resurfacing system because the risk of revision surgery is higher than the benchmark set by health watchdog Nice.

is an alternative treatment to total hip replacement, and is often used by younger and more active patients. Instead of being entirely replaced the femoral head is trimmed and resurfaced with a smooth, metal covering.

Andy Weymann, Smith & Nephew’s chief medical officer, said: “We are taking the necessary steps to ensure that the BHR is only used in those patient groups where it has demonstrated strong performance. These represent the vast majority of current patients.”