A Comparison of Clinical Outcomes After Total Knee Arthroplasty in Patients With Preoperative Nickel Allergy Receiving Cobalt Chromium or Nickel-Free Implant

• Published in: The Journal of arthroplasty 2023-07, Vol.38 (7), p.S194-S198
• Main Authors: Siljander, Breana R., Chandi, Sonia K., Debbi, Eytan M., McLawhorn, Alexander S., Sculco, Peter K., Chalmers, Brian P.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: cobalt chromium; complications; metal allergy; nickel allergy; patient reported outcome measures; total knee replacement
• ISSN: 0883-5403; 1532-8406
• DOI: 10.1016/j.arth.2023.04.048

The role of metal hypersensitivity reactions in total knee arthroplasty (TKA) failure is debated. There is no consensus on whether use of a more expensive nickel-free implant is indicated for patients who have preoperative nickel allergy. The purpose of this study was to examine the outcome of patients who have preoperative nickel allergy receiving nickel-free or cobalt chromium (CoCr) implants. This was a retrospective review of 17,798 patients who underwent 20,324 unilateral primary TKAs between 2016 and 2020. Presence of preoperative nickel allergy was determined (n = 282). Patients were divided into 2 cohorts: those receiving (1) nickel-free or (2) CoCr implants. Clinical outcome scores and revision rates were assessed. 243 received a nickel-free implant and 39 received a CoCr implant. There was no significant difference in revision rate between the cohorts. Survivorship free of revision was 94% in the CoCr implant cohort and 98% in the nickel-free implant cohort (P = .9). When comparing clinical outcome scores between cohorts, there was no difference in preoperative, 6-week or 1-year Knee Osteoarthritis Outcome Score Joint Replacement, Visual Analog Scale (VAS), Lower Extremity Activity Scale, Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS), and Veterans RAND 12-item scores between cohorts. In this retrospective cohort study, there was no difference in revision rates or clinical outcomes in patients who had a nickel allergy undergoing primary TKA with CoCr or nickel-free implants. Further studies are needed to determine if nickel allergy is an independent risk factor for worse TKA outcomes in general.