Total hip arthroplasty (THA) is a popular procedure that is increasing as the baby boom generation ages. In this issue of the journal, Inacio et al1 report that most US patients undergoing THA are women, who have a 29% higher risk of short-term THA failure than men after statistically controlling for key risk factors.
In the European Union and the United States, orthopedic implants and many other implanted medical devices are not required to be studied in clinical trials before being sold. In Europe, implant registries can provide postmarket data years later; such registry data were the basis of the warnings and recall of some metal on metal (MOM) hip implants in 2010 and 2011.2