Complications for Total Hip Replacement Surgery
Immediately after surgery, infection is a major concern with rates reported round 1%. Deep infection will often require one or two stage revision surgery with an extended hospital stay and antibiotics. Recurrent dislocation is another complication and may lead to revision surgery. This rate is also about 1%.
In the long term, many problems relate to osteolysis from acrylic bone cement debris, and/or wear debris. An inflammatory process causes bone resorption and subsequent loosening or fracture often requiring revision surgery. Very hard ceramic bearing surfaces are being used in the hope that they will have less wear and less osteolysis with better long term results. Large metal heads are also used for similar reasons as these also have excellent wear characteristics and benefit from a different mode of lubrication. However large fixed metal heads, such as the Austin Moore devices, can result in protrusio acetabuli. A greater head neck ratio also contributes to stability. These new prostheses do not always have the long term track record of established metal on poly bearings.
If you do not carry a health insurance policy you may want to consider a San Antonio Health Savings Account to make your medical treatment tax deductable.
Post operative sciatic nerve palsy is another possible complication.
A few hip replacement patients suffer chronic pain after the surgery despite normal imaging. Some believe this pain is caused by nerve damage from the surgery.