[Immediate postoperative complications after total hip replacement]

Abstract

With the object of illustrating the immediate postoperative complications connected with total hip replacement, a material of 512 hip replacements carried out in the Orthopaedic Department in Viborg Hospital during the period 1982-1987 was reviewed. Complications of significance for the postoperative course occurred in 16% and the mortality was 0.4%. The complications of greatest significance were cardiac (3.3%), renal involvement (2.5%) and thromboembolic complications (3.5%) (pulmonary embolism 1.8% and deep venous thrombosis 2.9%). Advanced age, preoperative cardiovascular conditions and obesity predisposed to these complications and, similarly, increased frequency of cardiac complications was found with increased duration of anaesthesia. Finally, a connection was found between peroperative and postoperative episodes of hypotension and renal involvement.