Review of possible complications

This is a critical section that must be reviewed by anyone contemplating hip or knee surgery of any kind. We have listed some known complications and adverse events associated with surgery below. This list will serve as the beginning point of our discussion about surgery, with our commentary and observations added. This may be more detail than you want to know, but it is still important that you read this material, and understand it thoroughly. Please communicate with your doctor to discuss any of this material.

The odds of a complication occurring are very small. In the majority of surgical procedures, the outcomes are satisfactory, and modern surgery is very safe. But, just as riding in a car or flying in an airplane, all risk cannot be eliminated. Therefore, it is important that you review the material below, and ask questions if necessary before any surgery is planned.

The risks of joint replacement surgery include, but are not necessarily limited to blood clots, pneumonia, nerve injury, blood vessel injury, blood transfusion risks, infection, failure of the hardware, persistent symptoms, dislocation of the artificial joint, leg length or alignment differences, heart attack, death, and other unpredictable and undesirable outcomes. Each of these adverse outcomes is discussed in detail below.

We will proceed with your surgery with the assumption that you understand, accept, and recognize this information. If these risks are unacceptable, then please postpone the procedure. Finally, while many complications are listed, all surgical procedures have a small chance of unpredictable outcomes, i.e., complications that no one can reasonably predict. There are no guarantees or certainties in medicine in terms of outcome, but rest assured that we will do our best to make the procedure safe and effective, by minimizing the risks involved.

Click on an item in the list below to learn more in detail.

1. Blood Clots
2. Pneumonia
3. Nerve Injury
4. Blood Vessel Injury
5. Blood Transfusion Risks
6. Anesthetic Complications
7. Failure of Implants
8. Heart Attack and Other Cardiac Complications
9. Stroke
10. Dislocation of the Components
11. Infection
12. Fracture
13. Leg length Inequality and Complications Related to Malalignment of the Leg