During & After Hip Surgery :

Possible Complications With Hip Surgery

Hip surgery is a major operation and there is a risk that complications might happen. These are often minor and temporary, but sometimes they can be serious and occasionally life threatening.

Some patients have high blood pressure, heart disease or diabetes and these conditions can increase the risk of having a heart attack or stroke after surgery. The surgeon and anaesthetist will discuss the risks with you before your operation. The commonest complications are usually bruising around, or oozing from the wound. Sometimes the leg is swollen for several weeks after surgery.

Occasionally a blood clot can develop (2%, deep vein thrombosis or DVT) which will need treatment with warfarin for several months. Rarely DVTs can travel to the lungs causing collapse and occasionally death. The risk of this happening is very low, approximately 1:1000 patients, and precautions are taken after surgery to minimize the risk.

Deep infection sometimes happens (1%) and often requires further surgery. Sometimes the components will have to be removed to clear the infection.

If you twist your hip excessively or have a fall it is possible that the hip will dislocate. You will need to have a general anaesthetic to put the hip back, and sometimes further surgery is necessary. The risk of dislocation is low (1%) and becomes much lower beyond six months from surgery.

Sometimes the sciatic nerve can be injured during the operation, resulting in permanent pain and weakness in the leg. The risk of this happening is very low (0.002%).

Your leg can be lengthened or shortened after hip surgery, and you might need a shoe raise to compensate for this. The risk is low (1%).