Hip Replacement Surgery - Dangerous?

[cube_rat]

Wow, the SF Bay Area lost a great anchorman. He was one of the few staple newscasters around here. He just went in for a second hip replacement and died a day later. Not from anesthesia, but a massive heart attack. Are blood clots more prevalant with this type of surgery. :confused:Any surgery has a risk of clots, I suppose.
PETE WILSON: 1945-2007 / TV news anchor was a straight shooter


RIP Pete Wilson

[Rich_by_the_Bay]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cube_rat Wow, the SF Bay Area lost a great anchorman. He was one of the few staple newscasters around here. He just went in for a second hip replacement and died a day later. Not from anesthesia, but a massive heart attack.

Cube, total hip replacement has a mortality rate of about 0.7%, plus a rate of serious complications like pulmonary embolism and blood clots of .1 to 3%.

A fatal heart attack after surgery is pretty rare if appropriate pre-op risk stratification is done, but sometimes it just happens. These are usually considered separate from blood clots which in this context occur in the lungs and legs mostly.

So, yes it's a safe procedure considering that severe arthritis of the hip can be terribly painful and debilitating. But "safe" wasn't enough for your anchor man.

[skittles]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rich_in_Tampa Cube, total hip replacement has a mortality rate of about 0.7%,

I can't help but believe that this is influenced by the fact that most THR patients are elderly. Younger patients would probably be at much lower risk. I'd like to see the numbers broken down by age.

I was 39 when I had a THR. I didn't feel like it was a risky surgery, nor did my surgeon. The alternative would have been a wheelchair, and lots of pain.

[Joss]

I was going to pop off that no surgery is utterly safe because anyone can turn out to be that "unklucky" person.

"But "safe" wasn't enough for your anchor man."

Exactly. It's very high odds to be successful. But still, in about 430 of these, three people probably aren't gonna make it.

Like Harry Callahan asks, "Do you feel lucky....PUNK?"