Although it is far riskier to forego surgery to repair a broken hip in the elderly there are still quite a few risks attached to having a procedure done.
Risks of hip replacement surgery in the elderly.
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.
Of course the normal risks of any surgery are greater in the elderly.
The news an elderly relative has broken a hip tends to sound alarm bells perhaps more than breaking another bone would.
Examples of these risks include.
That s because a hip fracture dramatically increases an older person s risk.
Total hip arthroplasty can dramatically improve quality of life for many older people with hip oa.
What are the risks of hip replacement surgery.
Hip replacement in the elderly menu.
This means four out of five elderly persons will survive the first year after a hip fracture.
Overview risks benefits.
Experts estimate 3 0 35 35 in 10 000 patients die within 30 days of hip replacement surgery.
That rate changes to 1 1 in 100 within 90 days of surgery.
Osteoarthritis oa of the hip joint is a common cause of pain and disability in the elderly.
Older patients as a group have an increased risk of certain problems right after surgery.
Infections can develop at the incision site and need antibiotics.
If a hip fracture is not addressed with surgery the one year mortality is about 70.
This mortality rate has been basically unchanged since the 1980s while the mortality rates for other conditions have dropped substantially.
Hip replacement complications include infection poor healing and reactions to anesthesia.
These are blood clots heart attack confusion and death.