The New York Times reports that orthopedic surgeons are rethinking complete replacements of the hip. For younger patients, a new technique called “resurfacing” allows the recipient to feel that the joint is truly his or hers. Thanks to new high carbide cobalt-chrome, the device’s developer believes it will last longer than conventional artificial hip hardware.

The story does an appropriately balanced job of a) convincing the reader that the new technique warrants a Nobel prize and b) outlining how long it will take for the data to be definitive. It also adroitly addresses the self-interest of the people quoted in the story: “‘This is one of the major advances in orthopedics in recent years, at least in this country,’ said Dr. Robert Barrack, chief of staff for orthopedic surgery at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis. Although he is a designer and consultant for the company making the implant, he was not involved in its design.” The newspaper does an especially effective job of showing the disability of younger patients who are not necessarily good candidates for traditional hip surgery or destined for a replacement to a replacement hip.

The device is basically a cap on the femoral head of the patient’s own hip, along with a less extensive anchoring cup. The device was developed by Derek McMinn in Birmingham, England and approved by the FDA earlier this year. McMinn has performed 2,763 of the procedures in less than ten years. Here’s an illustration of what his implant looks like. ” “Now instead of grinding bone on bone, the resurfaced metal on metal hip joint glides with a smooth, natural motion,” the developer’s website says.