The male patient presented with profound peripheral neuropathy, a metal laden pericardial effusion, and immune thyroiditis in 1997. Notable elevations of cobalt and chromium were detected in … Rita Redberg – Editor, JAMA Internal Medicine, The story of how the robot came into healthcare is the story of what’s wrong with medicine in America today. Hugh Laurie starred as Dr. House in a medical drama that gave doctors in Germany clues to a case of mysterious cobalt poisoning. Since Dr. Tower focused on complex hip replacement surgeries, he was familiar with the procedure and the options available. Robert Bridges – Diagnostic Radiologist, It used to be that about 70% of biomedical research was funded by the government, [but] in the last 20-25 years, that’s changed. Manufacturers use cobalt in products such as dyes, batteries, alloys and machine tools. I was just really embarrassed and ashamed that I didn’t just pop back from surgery.”. I’m really lucky.”, Information from: The News & Observer, http://www.newsobserver.com, Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. . Sometimes, metal particles (cobalt) are released as the metal ball grinds against the metal cup when you walk. The only bodies that are required to report adverse events are the companies. It regulates virtually everything that comes in contact with the body. Filmed in 2002 during the actual hearing process, members of the panel are seen laughing about the personal consequences if the device ever failed in the future. Before leaving Raleigh, Scott had read an article in The New York Times about the DePuy Pinnacle hip being pulled from the market. As it … A large number of the hips implanted in the United States over the past 20 years have utilized chrome-cobalt parts. Cobalt, in excess, has the potential to block oxidative metabolism at the mitochondrial level. Presently, Dr. Tower and DBEC are studying why corrosion of chrome-cobalt alloy hip implants occurs and how often this leads to hip tissue damage or to cobalt poisoning/cobaltism. Meanwhile, Scott said her behavior at home — the crying, the rage — was disruptive to her family. The classically described "cherry red skin" rarely occurs. Rita Redberg – Editor, JAMA Internal Medicine, I’m horrified because the more I’m looking at it, I’m beginning to wonder is cobalt the new mercury poisoning. Each group is separated from its neighbor by a ten-fold difference in dose-response to U[Co] and duration of exposure. 10 Tuesday Dec 2019. My personality felt different, and I knew I was acting differently at work and at home than I had ever acted before. Monday, June 6, 2016, at 2:00 p.m. After discovering that he had cobalt poisoning due to corrosion of his hip implant Dr Steve Tower began to investigate … Diese Website wurde für deutsche Benutzer erstellt. FDA is the most important consumer protection agency in the world. Tower Joint Replacement Clinic. Over the past decade, cobalt-chromium Metal-on-Metal Hip Arthroplasty (MoMHA) has been performed with increasing frequency throughout the United States, particularly in active and younger patients. Video of the FDA Pre-Market Approval hearing (obtained by an Essure patient advocacy group) is particularly damning. Dr. Tower is an orthopedic surgeon who knows these replacement parts inside and out – after all, his profession involves inserting them into patients! They’ve just been awesome.”. . So many people are not only physically disabled by this and losing hearing and having vision problems, but the worst part is I know this is destroying families, because it almost destroyed mine. . I said, ‘Don’t leave me, don’t divorce me, but you need to take the kids and go to a different place where they don’t have to be around this.’ And he didn’t. Tower says he can divide patients into three groups. Systemic cobalt poisoning from excessive wear of a hip implant was first reported in 2001. While patient horror stories are always tragic – and there are many horrific ones in The Bleeding Edge – they rarely include practicing doctors as victims. Astonishingly, Dr. Tower discovered that over half of his patients with a chrome … He discovered that 57 were cobalt positive, meaning the cobalt urine test revealed 1 part per billion (ppb) or higher. Dr. Who gets lost on I-40? June 3, 2016 After discovering that he had cobalt poisoning due to corrosion of his hip implant Dr Steve Tower began to investigate how extensive this problem is … Tower learned his problems were caused by cobalt metal poisoning that was damaging his brain. In the season 16 finale, Richard (James Pickens Jr) was revealed to have cobalt poisoning from a leaky hip replacement. ‪Orthopedic Surgeon: Anchorage Fracture and Orthopedic Clinic , Affiliate Professor UAA/ WWAMI School‬ - ‪Cited by 1,464‬ - ‪arthroprosthetic cobaltism‬ - ‪Metal-on-Metal hip replacements‬ - ‪cobalt poisoning‬ - ‪cobalt or chromium induced lymphomas or leukemias‬ There were four trials in all, with DePuy losing three. Doctors say Linda Radach's heart failure is caused by metal poisoning from her implanted hip. Sometimes, metal particles (cobalt) are released as … Dr. Tower stressed that the threat is not limited to metal-on-metal implants. Michael Carome – Director, Public Citizen Health Research Group, You end up with what we call a daisy-chain (of approvals). That’s the horror right there. Soon after arriving at a certain diagnosis, Dr. Tower will often turn to surgery when all other treatment solutions have already been eliminated or exhausted. “The evidence was jaw-dropping,” Scott said. 1 out of 4 are immune to cobalt, 2 out of 4 react fairly reasonably to cobalt implementation, and the other 1 out of 4 is extremely sensitive, causing early on-set diseases. She also has damage on the walls of her heart, and the lasting damage done to her kidneys is not known. Die Werke sind auch als der Dunkle-Turm-Zyklus bekannt. But the revision surgery wasn’t a total fix. The Bleeding Edge is working to spread the news about cobalt poisoning and how harmful it can be in patients’ bodies. First appearing in Forbes as a Contributor in 2011, I've written for a wide range of global brands and print publications. Adriane Fugh-Berman – Professor of Pharmacology & Physiology, Georgetown University, We can no longer rely on the medical device companies to do what’s in the best interest of the patient, and we can no longer rely on the FDA to properly regulate these devices. The male patient presented with profound peripheral neuropathy, a metal laden pericardial effusion, and immune thyroiditis in 1997. Notable elevations of cobalt and chromium were detected in the patient’s blood and urine. Journal of Patient Safety: October 10, 2018 - Publish ... Dr. Stephen Tower, on the epidemiology and mechanisms of failure of total hip arthroplasty and associated heavy metal poisoning. She needed what’s known as “revision” surgery, which would replace her metal-on-metal hips with a type that uses metal with ceramic or plastic. David Kessler – FDA Commissioner (1990-1997), This is big business. She was also physically and mentally broken. No matter what the house looks like or what my kids need, I can’t stand more than that. Instead, Scott, a mother of three young children, was plagued not only with constant hip and leg pain from the surgery, but confusion, memory loss, hearing loss, shaking hands, migraines, kidney pain, skin lesions and uncontrollable fits of rage. At this point, a graphic was shown to indicate that 98% of FDA medical device approvals were through the 510(K) "loophole" and only 2% were through the more rigorous Pre-Market Approval process. Following extensive research into his own case and others like it, Dr. Stephen Tower’s coined the term Arthroplasty Cobalt Encephalopathy, or ACE , … Part of her time is devoted to her job as a spokesperson for the flooring company 50 Floor. He was the first surgeon to report that contemporary hip replacements have the potential to systematically poison the patient due to a cobalt component. To make matters worse, Scott learned that Johnson & Johnson DePuy, the company that manufactured her Pinnacle hip, knew the problems with the hardware and kept selling them anyway. One of … The first time she tried it, she visited a rink in Austin, put on a lot of extra pads, and thinking “what the heck,” slowly pushed her way across the ice. At one point Skip said, ‘You don’t want us to remember you this way,’ and it really hit home. And the reason was something he never suspected: cobalt poisoning. With an enterprise software engineering background, I cover the intersections between technology, innovation, and policy that are unfolding inside one of America’s, With an enterprise software engineering background, I cover the intersections between technology, innovation, and policy that are unfolding inside one of America’s largest industries – healthcare. EY & Citi On The Importance Of Resilience And Innovation, Impact 50: Investors Seeking Profit — And Pushing For Change, The Grimmest Days Of The Covid-19 Pandemic Coincide With The Most Severe Forms Of Rationing, How To Decipher The New Pfizer Study On Vaccines And Variants, Why The U.S. Scott, 39 at the time, had just undergone a double hip replacement surgery to fix a painful congenital joint problem (she was born without natural hip sockets). Scott said her bosses and colleagues at WTVD had been great, holding her job four months beyond what is required by the Family Medical Leave Act. Their doctors aren’t even checking them for this, and their marriages are being destroyed by it.”, During this time, Scott had been seeing a doctor in Austin who, like her doctor in Raleigh, told her there was nothing wrong with her hips and that he could not help her. . Dr. Stephen S. Tower is an orthopedist in Anchorage, Alaska and is affiliated with multiple hospitals in the area. But Scott says the damage to her family and everything they lost because of the bad hips is what pains her the most. This is a problem on any knee, shoulder or hip with a chrome cobalt implant," said Dr. Tower. Cobalt poisoning by hip replacement: Arthroprosthetic-Cobaltism . Settled in Austin, she started doing more research and learned about trials in Dallas involving Johnson & Johnson DePuy. Dr. Stephen Tower, a Health Watch USA Board Member, has discussed this problem in a recent commentary (journals.lww.com/journalpatientsafety/Citation/publishahead/Hip_Metallosis_and_Corrosion_A_Million_Harmed_Due.99566.aspx) along with several recent reports that are now calling attention to the long-term dangers of cobalt containing implants and their all too … One of the speakers this year is Dr. Stephen Tower, a surgeon from Anchorage, Alaska. Dr. Stephen Tower is an orthopedic surgeon specializing in complex hip replacements. Twitter handle is: @danmunro, © 2021 Forbes Media LLC. My head started to clear.”. Dr. Tower … As a way to highlight some of the more compelling testimony, here’s my selection of top quotes from the 98-minute documentary. After six months of going five days a week, Scott said she would limp to the rink, skate through the pain, then feel good for about an hour after. KVUE, the ABC affiliate in Austin, reported on Scott and the FDA’s shortcomings in testing medical devices in February of this year. Der Dunkle Turm (The Dark Tower) ist eine achtbändige, düstere Fantasy-Saga des US-amerikanischen Schriftstellers Stephen King.King selbst bezeichnet die Reihe um den Dunklen Turm als sein wichtigstes Werk. My first book – Casino Healthcare – released in 2016. It’s like a 6th member of our family, this nightmare. This is a problem on any knee, shoulder or hip with a chrome cobalt implant," said Dr. Tower. It could have, were it not for the integrity of my spouse. Dr. Steven Stowers is a specialist in Primary Care, Family Medicine who can be reached at 936.597.8585 and whose practice locations include: Montgomery The other danger for cobalt poisoning is that it could mimic other conditions. Learn how it works and its benefits and potential risks. Dr. Stephen Tower presents on the complications caused by wear and corrosion of metal hip implants. FDA is organized by centers – so there’s a center for foods, there’s a center for drugs, there’s a center for biologics, and there’s a center for medical devices. I've covered a number of healthcare documentaries (including Escape Fire and The Business of Recover), but this one's a very powerful indictment of the exact agency designed to protect patients from a large and powerful industry segment. . “But I can still skate two days a week — because I need to. “My memory was just squirrely,” Frances said in one of a series of phone interviews for this story. Massive molybdenum exposure in the ration >2,000 mg/kg will result in death. “That (job) has helped me tremendously. He had cobalt poisoning. Featured in the documentary is orthopedic surgeon Dr. Stephen Tower, himself a hip replacement patient due to having degenerative hip issues causing persistent pain and interfering with his active lifestyle. Eight weeks after the procedure, she dislocated one of her hips, an extremely painful setback. According to the documentary (Netflix subscription required), the medical device industry is about $300 billion per year and nearly 70 million Americans have been implanted with a device over the last 10 years. He has been in practice for more than 20 years. Skating has been more difficult since the revision surgery, because the impingement causes pain. www.tjrclinic.com. Piper then discovered the work of Dr. Stephen Tower, an orthopedic surgeon from Alaska whose own metal-on-metal hip implant problems spurred his scientific research into cobalt poisoning. She still has ringing in her ears and considerable pain from an impingement caused by a piece of the new hip rubbing against and tearing muscles and tendons. Board Member Health Watch USA. At different times in her profile, she was a nurse who assisted in the placement of Bayer’s Essure sterilization device, a product spokesperson for Bayer's device, and then finally a victim herself. Cobalt leaking from the ASR hip had caused a condition called metallosis, destroying not only local muscle, tendons and ligaments, but harming Dr. Tower’s heart and brain as well. HD Filme ist eine der Top-Streaming-Websites für Filme. Finally, the patient was referred to Marburg where the doctors concluded that, like Dr House's fictional patient, their patient was suffering from Cobalt poisoning. Of the 57 patients with a cobalt positive test, 28 had symptoms consistent with Arthroplasty Cobalt Encephalopathy. Massive adoption of a new technology with little evaluation of the outcomes. A new Netflix documentary – The Bleeding Edge  – highlights a wide range of systemic flaws in the FDA’s regulation of medical devices. “Google Videos “Cobalt Hip Brain Toxicity” Please “Re-Tweet” to anyone with a replaced hip.” Her twins were 7 at the time all of this started, and her youngest was 5. People can get cobalt poisoning by breathing in too much cobalt, swallowing too much of it or having prolonged skin contact with it. We are seeing this with many popular hip designs – orthopedic surgeon Stephen Tower. “They had waited for me all that time to be able to get back and I just had done so poorly. Cobalt Toxicity in Two Hip Replacement Patients . “My hands would shake sometimes in the morning meeting and I’d think, ‘Wow, I’ve had too much caffeine.’ I got lost on I-40 on one of my last days coming back from a doctor’s appointment, headed from Durham to Raleigh. Dr. Tower describes his self-diagnosis, recovery, and the consequences of being a 21st Century Cassandra tilting at a $100-billion dollar syndicate. Schooled by personal experience, and later by research, he finds cobaltism to be common in his patients with hip, shoulder, or knee replacements. “I was horrifically miserable, but then I had these blemishes breaking out on my face that would just crack open and bleed, and I was starting to get embarrassed about my appearance. Regardless Dr. Tower chose to have revision surgery to remove the metal on metal chromium-cobalt hip and replace it with a plastic ball and socket. He got a job doing accounting for a small pet products company based in Austin. Martin Makary – Professor of Surgery and Health Policy at John Hopkins School of Medicine, Most people probably believe when they get a medical device – be it a pacemaker or a joint – that those medical devices have undergone appropriate testing to demonstrate that they are safe and effective before they came on the market and doctors started using them – but for most moderate and high-risk devices that is not the case. “There were not many people in the ice rink in the middle of the day, and I didn’t have to be embarrassed that I limped or couldn’t skate.”. Another compelling storyline was that of Gaby Avina. KVUE’s story included court documents showing that Johnson & Johnson DePuy engineers knew about the problems with the hips as early as 1997 and warned company leaders, who did nothing. Me limping, me crying, me falling, me with boils all over my face. Dr. Tower’s Chrome Cobalt Hip Study. When Dr. Tower called DePuy to see what could be done the company stated that they had never heard of a blood abnormality being an issue. It’s something she started while still in Raleigh and was able to continue after moving. Cobalt is found naturally in the earth’s crust – but like many other common toxic compounds, too much of it can spell disaster. We couldn’t do that. The metallosis that developed wreaked havoc on Dr. Tower’s tendons, ligaments, and muscles. Affiliated Professor UAA/ WWAMI. And if there was any question whether ACE could happen to absolutely anyone, Dr. Stephen Tower’s story should convince you otherwise. Since making that discovery, Scott has been on a mission to repair her body, her life and her family, and to help others searching for answers. Scott said she can make peace with the fact that she has had to live in pain, that she lost a career that she loved, that she lost relationships because she was acting “crazy” and people didn’t understand, and that her family has been financially ruined by medical bills. Stephen Tower Authority on cobalt poisoning by hip replacement (cobaltism), Affiliated Professor UAA/ WWAMI, surgeon Anchorage, Alaska 500+ connections A recent case report by Dr. Stephen S. Tower, published in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, examined two cases of arthroprosthetic cobaltism attributed to metal-on-metal implants. So, it came as a surprise to him when he began experiencing symptoms of illness due to his hip replacement surgery. Other things she could not fake. After After Dr. Tower had the product replaced he began to study the effects of the products in his very own patients. Tower learned his problems were caused by cobalt metal poisoning that was damaging his brain. “I told my husband, ‘I feel like I’m a raging alcoholic, but I’m not drinking and I’m not on any drugs and I don’t know what’s wrong with me, but I can’t control it.’”. The primary metal alloy for these joint replacements is cobalt, and according to the documentary, there are now more than 10 million people worldwide who have hips, knees or shoulders made with cobalt parts. “I didn’t know what, but I couldn’t control it and it made me sad. You may opt-out by. Oct. 14, 2015 file photo of the Food and Drug Administration campus in Silver Spring, Md. generated cobalt: exquisitely sensitive, relatively immune, and an intermediate group. What Dr. Tower experienced – what so many patients have experienced – is the effects of cobalt poisoning. In The Bleeding Edge, Dr. Tower wonders if some elderly patients – the ones most likely to need a hip transplant – might have been wrongfully diagnosed with a form of dementia, when in fact they were showing signs of a reversible condition, instead. AK State Epi, Alaska Medicine, JBJS 2010. “This was the only chance they had to have a childhood. Tower worked backwards to figure … Tower learned his problems were caused by cobalt metal poisoning that was damaging his brain. No, no, no – the device industry has much more power than pharma. Some of the most forceful testimony came from Dr. Stephen Tower, an orthopedic surgeon who suffered severe cobalt poisoning from his own hip implant, and has since dedicated himself to researching metal poisoning by hip implants. Stephen Tower, an orthopedic doctor profiled in the film, had developed a tremor and was having a hard time thinking when he decided to scrawl all … (Scott later looked up her doctor on Propublica’s Dollars for Docs website and learned he had taken nearly half a million dollars from Johnson & Johnson DePuy as a consultant.). Scott knows just how fortunate she is because she has gotten to know many people who were in her same situation and didn’t get the same support. Are these people (with metal joints) being relegated to the dust bin because they have what somebody misperceives as dementia. I need to have something that I can still do that I enjoy. He now advocates for testing the cobalt levels of his patients if they complain of having Parkinson’s or dementia-like symptoms. Around this time she also watched a 2017 Netflix documentary about the medical device industry called “The Bleeding Edge,” which featured Dr. Stephen Tower, an orthopedic surgeon with a metal-on-metal hip having the same neurological symptoms as Scott, including manic episodes. It takes a physical toll, she said, but it’s one of the few things she has that makes her feel normal. Stephen Tower, an orthopedic doctor profiled in the film, had developed a tremor and was having a hard time thinking when he decided to scrawl all … * This post was updated on 8/3 and then corrected on 8/4 to include a link to Bayer's response to the film in their press release dated 7/27. “It simulated that feeling that I always loved of running with the wind going past your face,” she said. Depending on severity of findings, replacement of the artificial hip with one not made of cobalt or the use of chelation may be necessary. It’s kind of a parallel to the drug industry and it isn’t nearly as well understood. “The kidney pain, the confusion. Needs To Step Up Covid-19 Genome Sequencing. Doctors say Linda Radach's heart failure is caused by metal poisoning from her implanted hip. Scott was also in excruciating pain. Stephen Tower, MD, University of Alaska, Alaska, USA . After thousands of adverse cases, and under enormous patient pressure, Bayer has finally agreed to stop selling the Essure device this year. This is not a metal-on-metal problem. . For the 510(K) pathway all the manufacturer needs to demonstrate is that their device is ‘substantially equivalent’ – is the regulatory term – to another (predicate) device that’s already on the market. Stephen Tower, an orthopedic surgeon, specifically asked his surgeon for a metal-on-metal device called the ASR XL that was manufactured by Johnson & Johnson when he needed a hip replacement. David Kessler – FDA Commissioner (1990 – 1997). Scott attended two of the trials, making the three-hour drive each way so she could listen to everything they said in the hearings. “I hope that will get better over time,” Scott said. Chelation therapy uses chelators to remove metal molecules from the blood of people with heavy metal poisoning. But that, she said, she could often fake her way through. He said, ‘I knew it wasn’t you. Posted by earlstevens58 in Chrome Poisoning, Cobalt chrome, Cobalt Poisoning, Cobaltism, FDA, Hip, Hip Replacement, Hip Revisions, hip surgery, Hip Wear Characteristics, Metal ions, Metal on metal hip, metal on metal hips, Metallosis, metallosis ≈ 2 … What were those symptoms? One compelling example is that of Dr. Stephen Tower, a surgeon from Alaska. “That’s the one thing I really struggle with forgiveness about,” Scott said. Dr. Steve Tower specializes in hip, knee and shoulder surgery as well as general orthopedics and trauma care. As surgeon has implanted about 1000 “AT RISK” hips. And then quite often what you found is some of the predicate devices – as they call them – have actually been recalled from the market because they’ve been failing. “It’s just staggering. The problem we have is that when it comes to medical devices we built a system that doesn’t work. He now advocates for testing the cobalt levels of … Stephan Papageorgiou, Allgemeinmediziner in Hamburg-Barmbek, Fuhlsbüttler Straße 151. “Eighty percent of my symptoms went away, almost instantly,” Scott said. All they know is me crying on the couch because I can’t stand long enough to put away the laundry. Within each series the films are organized either by production number assigned by the Center (in many cases this was the negative number and are roughly chronological) or alphabetically by title. The neurological symptoms that occur with cobalt metal poisoning include: tremors; memory problems; fatigue; weakness or imbalance; mood alterations; sleep issues; pain; weight loss; executive dysfunction; blindness; other symptoms; Dr. Tower did a post-surgical study of his patients with artificial hips containing at least one component made from chromium/cobalt. Scott’s family moved to Austin later that year. Introduction . That’s the thing I still really have grief about. While patient horror stories are always tragic – and there are many horrific ones in The Bleeding Edge – they rarely include practicing doctors as victims. Dr. Tower did a post-surgical study of his patients with artificial hips containing at least one component made from chromium/cobalt. Scott said many people find her because of the KVUE article and through her YouTube page, where she has posted videos about her struggles with the metal-on-metal hips. We spent all our money on surgeons.”. A sales representative, whose identity is shielded, discusses financial incentives used […] We are seeing this with many popular hip designs that are still commonly implanted.” OTW spoke to Dr. Tower about his personal experience with cobalt poisoning and research in the area. ... giving him cobalt poisoning. Some of the most forceful testimony came from Dr. Stephen Tower, an orthopedic surgeon who suffered severe cobalt poisoning from his own hip implant, and has since dedicated himself to researching metal poisoning by hip implants. All Rights Reserved, This is a BETA experience. He believed the cobalt poisoning from the hip implant caused sudden decline in psychological health. Case Report (Contributed by Stephen S. Tower, MD, Anchorage Fracture and Orthopedic Clinic.) In March 2015 he started a screening program to measure cobalt levels in the blood of patients who received an artificial hip with any chrome-cobalt component. “Very few people understand what replacements they … He testified, “This is not a metal-on-metal problem. Burghardt said such poisoning was first discovered by Dr. Stephen Tower of Alaska, who found that he had cobalt poisoning due to corrosion of his hip implant. Marketed as a device with a 99% (or higher) efficacy rate, it turns out that aside from the many adverse events, “women with the Essure device experienced sterilization failure rates that were seven times higher than women who had their tubes tied.”. Presently, Dr. Tower and DBEC are studying why corrosion of chrome-cobalt alloy hip implants occurs and how often this leads to hip tissue damage or to cobalt poisoning/cobaltism. “I was able to come home and put away some laundry for the first time and not just sit on the sofa and cry with everything hurting. A large number of the hips implanted in the United States over the past 20 years have utilized chrome-cobalt parts. “It was a horrible time and it’s sad for me to talk about now, because I know so many people — their spouses do leave. Scott said her family fell in love with hockey because of the Carolina Hurricanes (her oldest son plays junior hockey in Michigan), so she immediately thought of ice skating when her doctor recommended (before revision surgery) that she find a low impact physical activity. Both patients studied experienced severe health issues after receiving the ASR hip implants. “How many people are out there who think grandma is acting weird because she has dementia?”. Cobalt poisoning by hip replacement: Arthroprosthetic-Cobaltism Stephen Tower, MD, University of Alaska, Alaska, USA Cobalt, in excess, has the potential to block oxidative metabolism at the mitochondrial level. I had known you for 12, 13 years before this, and none of what you were doing matched who you were before the surgery, so I just knew in my gut it wasn’t you.’, “Also, he stayed because that’s the kind of person he is,” Scott said. . Cobaltemia and Cobaltism are common in Alaskans with failed Metal-metal Hips by Dr Stephen Tower Introduction Systemic cobalt poisoning from excessive wear of a hip implant was first reported in 2001. Carbon monoxide poisoning typically occurs from breathing in carbon monoxide (CO) at excessive levels. Detailed briefing for FDA on the complications of CoCr arthroprosthetic Metallosis – Dr Stephen Tower. Dr. Stephen Tower, Anchorage AK, discusses the risks associated with metal-on-metal hip implants during a Health Watch USA meeting on Feb 19, 2014. It is a far more common side effect than you might think, and one that should have been anticipated by DePuy long before they started selling this defective medical device to patients. 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