Hip Surgery Complications

Hip surgery, like any other surgical procedure, carries certain risks and complications. Although the chances of these complications occurring is small, they do occur, especially in elderly individuals or with individuals in poor health.

Infection

• Infection is a common complication following many types of surgery, including hip surgery. The surgical incision made to expose the hip joint during surgery can become infected and require additional treatment such as antibiotic intervention and/or wound cleansing and/or draining.

Non-Healing

• The parts of the hip joint that are operated on during surgery can sometimes fail to heal properly in the weeks and months following surgery and require additional treatment such as follow-up surgery and/or specialized rehabilitation.

Excessive Blood Loss

• Blood loss is a normal part of most surgical procedures, and most types of hip surgery result in moderate amounts of blood loss. However, excessive blood loss can develop depending on patient health, degree or extent of the hip damage, and operative technique.

Blood Clots

• Blood clots can develop during hip surgery due to the fact that blood flow in the operated leg is often cut off or severely restricted with bandaging during surgery to prevent excessive blood loss. This can cause blood to coagulate and develop clots which can travel to other parts of the body.

Leg Length Inequality

• A leg length inequality is a complication that often arises from total hip replacement surgery, whereby a hip joint is reconstructed using artificial implant parts. Many times these implant materials require insertion in ways that result in a leg length difference.