Trends in Study of Metals Being Released from Joint Replacements

Abstract

Releasing of metals from joint replacements represents one of the current topics of modern orthopedics. Determination of metals can contribute to understanding of patient's exposure to the metals and could be used as potential biomarker to detect the failure of joint replacements. This review focuses on materials used in production of joint replacements and their release into the human body. It provides an overview of the most frequently used sample preparation procedures, instrumental techniques including elemental speciation analysis, and the previously reported concentration levels of released metals in various clinical matrices, such as blood, serum, joint fluid or tissues. Quality of results, as a non-negligible part of analytical procedure, is also discussed.