Infection After Hip Replacement

There is an estimated 0 5 to 1 risk of an infection following a hip replacement.

Infection after hip replacement.

Though our most recent review of infection data at the university of utah center for hip and knee reconstruction showed an infection rate better than the national average at 0 5 percent as of 2013. Infections can happen to the joint replacement infection even years after the surgery. It occurs in one to three percent of patients nationally. Fitzgerald et al 5 found that patients with bacteriuria after total hip arthroplasty had a higher incidence of deep sepsis than did those without urinary tract infections 3 4 vs 1 5.

Hip replacement is a very common operation that is effective at providing pain relief and improving mobility however infection can sometimes occur following joint replacement. Surgeons often use specially designed operating rooms for this type of procedure to greatly reduce the. Infection is a rare but serious complication after total joint replacement surgery. Infections are caused by viruses or bacteria.

No surgical procedure is without risks however. In these cases bacteria can adhere to the implant itself which makes the infection difficult to treat. However they could not correlate the organisms isolated from the urinary tract with those isolated at the time of hip debridement. If you suspect you might have an infection it is important to seek treatment early.

Why consider knee joint replacement and hip joint replacement surgery. Symptoms may include a fever and pus or clear liquid oozing from the wound. Joint replacement infections may occur in the wound or deep around the artificial implants. Any type of infection in other areas of the body can also lead to the infection of the hip or knee replacements.

Most infections are treated with antibiotics but a major infection near your prosthesis might require surgery to remove and replace the prosthesis. Joint replacement infections are a very dangerous surgical complications after knee and hip replacement. How common is a hip replacement infection. Developing an infection in and around a total hip or knee replacement is one of the most catastrophic complications that can occur.

Infection after hip replacement may be prevented by creating a sterile operating room that blocks the entry of most bacteria discontinuing immuno suppressing medications around the time of the surgery and taking antibiotics in the future prior to any type of invasive medical procedure. Guay j et al. A small percentage of patients undergoing hip or knee replacement roughly about 1 in 100 may develop an infection after the operation. Symptoms of hip replacement infection.

There should be no clear discharge from the wound after 10 days and if there is you must inform your doctor.