Magnetic hip replacement may last a lifetime

British surgeons have created a new magnetic hip replacement that they claim can last a lifetime.

According to orthopaedic surgeons Paul Lee and Michael Clarke, the MagneHip lasts for at least three times as long as a conventional hip replacement, meaning patients will not have to undergo further operations to replace ageing prosthetics.

The innovation has already been named the Best Joint Replacement Idea at last year's Bone and Joint Innovation Awards and will enter clinical trials within the next three years.

Mr Lee revealed that he and a colleague had been working on the idea for five years before coming up with a design.

"It is all based on the workings of a car engine, which uses the same sort of system to make it last longer," he told the Daily Mail.

"It is a standard permanent magnet which has a lifetime of 1,000 years and so does not need replacing."

Figures show that around 65,000 hip replacement operations are carried out every year in the UK to treat joint erosion.