Procedure for Extracting Fluid From the Hip Joint After Surgery

After hip surgery it is common to have fluid build up around the joint. Surgery for the hip or hip-replacement surgery is typically done due to breaking the hip or severe arthritis. Fluid can build up around the joint after surgery. Too much fluid makes it difficult to move the joint and can create pain. The excess fluid needs to be removed from the joint to facilitate movement and healing.

Drainage Tube

• After hip-replacement surgery, excess fluid can build up around the hip. Your doctor will attach a drainage tube to your hip for the first day or two after surgery. This is a continuous drain that runs directly into the incision. The fluid drains into a bag and is measured by your nurse regularly to check for output amounts.

  The tube will be removed prior to leaving the hospital. Because this is a direct line into the skin, the tube and the insertion site must be cleaned regularly to prevent infection. The drainage tube and skin at the point of entry will be checked often by your nurse for any signs of swelling, redness, heating of the skin and bruising.

Needle Aspiration

• If fluid builds up around your hip joint after surgery, your doctor may decide that he needs to remove the fluid manually. This is typically done by a procedure called a needle aspiration. This procedure requires you to go to your doctor's office or maybe have it done in the hospital as an outpatient procedure.

  The area that will have the fluid withdrawn from it will be cleaned with an antiseptic. Your doctor will insert an anesthetic into the area where the procedure will be performed. This is done with a needle. You will feel a brief little stick and stinging sensation where the needle is inserted. A needle and syringe is used to withdraw the excess fluid. The needle will be inserted into the joint area and the fluid withdrawn into the syringe. The fluid will be sent off to the lab for testing.

  After your aspiration, your doctor will clean the site and dress it with bandages. You should leave the bandages on for as long as your doctor instructs you to. Keep the area clean and dry.

Complications

• Complications after a joint aspiration are not common. However, complications that can arise are bruising of the site, minimal bleeding into your joint and loss of pigment, or coloring of the skin where the needle was injected. The most serious complication to develop is infection of the joint, known as septic arthritis. Notify your doctor if you develop a fever, redness or swelling at the site, or an increase in pain. Your doctor will tell you what medications you can take for pain relief. Make sure she knows all the medications you are currently taking to avoid medication reactions.

  If a cortisone-type medication or corticosteroid is injected into the joint, there can be additional, but uncommon, complications. One is inflammation in the joint. This happens when the medication crystallizes in the joint. There can be shrinkage or atrophy of the joint as well. You may experience an increase in blood sugar or possible worsening of your diabetes, or an increase in a pre-existing infection that lies somewhere else in your body.

  If you need multiple injections of corticosteroids in the joint, there can be other possible side effects such as systemic reactions. These can include weight gain, puffy face and trunk, and easy bruising.

  You should let your doctor know about changes or new developments after your fluid aspiration.