Zimmer Hip Replacements and Implants

Zimmer Biomet announced in January 2023 that it reached a definitive agreement to acquire Embody, Inc. The acquisition will give Biomet Zimmer access to the private medical device company’s full portfolio of what are termed “collagen-based biointegrative” implants.

When Zimmer Holdings bought Biomet, Inc. for $13.4 billion in 2015, the company became the second-largest manufacturer in the orthopedic market. In its most recent annual reporting, Zimmer Biomet reported international sales of $7.836 billion in 2021.

With its access to Biomet’s portfolio through the acquisition, Zimmer Biomet now promotes several hip products that use Zimmer Trabecular Metal Hip Technology. The highly porous biomaterial is designed to simulate the body’s spongy bone to provide a high level of friction that helps the hip joint stabilize after being implanted. It also allows growth into the artificial hip implant.

Zimmer no longer promotes products that use MoM, but its Durom Cup contained forged metal instead of the cast metal traditionally used in hip implants. The forged metal was intended to be harder, smoother and more durable. A recall was issued when the forged metal was linked to complications. 

The Durom Cup was designed to address durability and range of motion, particularly for active lifestyles. It was intended for use with the Zimmer Metasul Metal-on-Metal Tribological Solution LDH. 

After a brief recall and attempts to address problems only one year after the FDA approved its use in total hip replacements in 2006, complications persisted. More than 1,700 people filed lawsuits against Zimmer, claiming the manufacturer marketed a dangerous product and failed to warn patients of the risks associated with the device. Zimmer discontinued the Durom Cup in 2010 and agreed to settle the majority of cases filed against it.

The G7 Dual Mobility Construct is designed to resist dislocation. Next to infection, joint dislocation is the most common hip replacement complication. 

Zimmer Biomet claims its G7 Dual Mobility Construct will resist dislocation without having to restrain the femoral head, which can limit range of motion. Unlike a standard hip implant that has limited femoral head rotation before the head dislocates, a dual mobility implant has extended range of motion without the risk of dislocation.

The One-Piece Femoral Revision System received FDA approval in October 2015, and was first distributed a little over a month later. It was built on the Arcos Modular Hip System introduced in 2010. 

The original system offered surgeons a variety of interchangeable hip replacement components, which could be implanted using a single set of instruments. The One-Piece Femoral Revision System provides three forged titanium femoral stem options that can be adapted to a patient’s individual anatomy. 

The size options are designed to address smaller femur sizes, for example in women. Though the name suggests the system is designed for revision surgery only, the devices can also be used in primary implant surgery.

Part of Zimmer Biomet’s Echo Hip System, this stem is designed for minimally invasive surgical procedures. The stem of the Echo Bi-Metric Microplasty Stem is about 30% shorter than the full length Echo Bi-Metric stem. 

Zimmer Biomet says the stem preserves more of the patient’s bone during implant surgery. The stem is also coated with Zimmer Biomet’s PPS coating, which the company says promotes “long-term bone fixation” to the device.

The manufacturer has produced PPS for more than 25 years. The design of the stem is also billed as balancing the demands of patient fit with bearing the load of the patient.

The Continuum Acetabular System is the company’s top hip implant. It uses Trabecular Metal Technology, Vivacity-E Highly Crosslinked Polyethylene and Biolox Ceramic Technology to create versatile acetabular cups in a range of sizes and options. The device gets its name from the term for the hip socket – the acetabulum.

The Continuum System incorporates the company’s proprietary Trabecular Metal Technology. This includes a porous alloy designed to promote bone growth into the implant to better anchor it in place. It also includes a proprietary polyethylene in the bearing designed to be “highly resistant to wear and aging.” 

The Continuum system had included metal-on-metal implants. Several implant manufacturers marketed MoM implants in the early 2000s, but abandoned them after serious mechanical and health problems were reported. The current Continuum Acetabular System no longer features MoM components.