A 56-year-old woman was admitted to a hospital with alarming symptoms including numbness, memory problems, and heart palpitations.
Her doctors found nothing immediately notable in her medical history, despite a recent increase in her thyroid medication dose. However, she had a history of hip problems, including a replacement 20 years prior that was now failing.
The cause of her symptoms was ultimately found to be cobalt poisoning from her hip replacement, with doctors discovering grey fluid and dead, metallic flesh inside her hip. The case highlights a rare but serious complication of hip replacement surgery.
