Blood clots that may form in the leg veins can break off and travel to the lungs or heart.
Risks of hip replacement surgery in the elderly.
Of course the normal risks of any surgery are greater in the elderly.
This mortality rate has been basically unchanged since the 1980s while the mortality rates for other conditions have dropped substantially.
The news an elderly relative has broken a hip tends to sound alarm bells perhaps more than breaking another bone would.
What are the risks of hip replacement surgery.
Osteoarthritis oa of the hip joint is a common cause of pain and disability in the elderly.
Overview risks benefits.
If a hip fracture is not addressed with surgery the one year mortality is about 70.
That s because a hip fracture dramatically increases an older person s risk.
That rate changes to 1 1 in 100 within 90 days of surgery.
Experts estimate 3 0 35 35 in 10 000 patients die within 30 days of hip replacement surgery.
Taking care to manage any medical conditions before surgery reduces these risks.
Hip replacement in the elderly menu.
Things like the zimmer hip replacement recall remind us that artificial joints may turn out to be defective and need to be replaced a second time.
Examples of these risks include.
Hip replacement is a major surgery and some complications such as infection and blood clots can be life threatening.
This means four out of five elderly persons will survive the first year after a hip fracture.
Infections can develop at the incision site and need antibiotics.
Older patients as a group have an increased risk of certain problems right after surgery.
Total hip arthroplasty can dramatically improve quality of life for many older people with hip oa.