Possible Complications Associated With Joint Replacement Sur

1. Possible Complications Associated With Joint Replacement Surgery

2. As with all other surgical procedures, there are some complications that may develop post knee replacement or hip replacement surgery. Surgeons normally counsel the patients with respect to the possible complications, their probabilities and recovery, before consenting to joint replacement surgery. There are various knee surgery alternatives, and the same applies for all the vital joints of the body, which has to be clearly understood by the patient.

3. Blood Clots Forming In The Veins Blood clots, also called thrombosis, are one of the common complications of any joint replacement surgery. On several occasions, the clots tend to dislodge and they travel through the veins to reach the lungs and the heart. This can become a fatal condition. The patient needs to be given blood thinning medications to prevent these clots from developing right after the surgery. Leg exercises and the use of compressive calf cuffs are needed for preventing clotting.

4. Limited Flexion, Adhesions Adhesion or scar tissue is a common risk even with the slightest incision. It can form and even limit the amount of flexion, which you could otherwise achieve after surgery. When there is excessive adhesion, surgeons may call it arthrofibrosis. This condition requires manipulation under anesthetic, also called MUA, for several weeks or months after the surgery for breaking down the scar tissues.

5. Misalignment/ Poor Choice Of Quality And Size Of Implant Misalignment, though not a very common problem, can occur whenever there are cuts made at improper angles. Another factor affecting the alignment of prosthetics is the choice of poor implants or incorrect angle that ranges from excessively large femoral components to spacers or inserts (too thin or thick). Either of these conditions can lead to post-operative pain and problems with the motion range.

6. Other than the choice of implants, experience and skills of a surgeon also makes a lot of difference to the final result. The more experienced a surgeon is the lower will be his rate of errors. Therefore, before going for a surgery, patients should know their knee surgery alternatives and also make sure that their surgeon is experienced enough and has higher success rate.

7. Risk of Infection The risks of developing infections are not very common with knee replacement or hip replacement surgery, but may involve some primary infection, typical late onset infections or superficial infection.

8. Because joint replacement surgery is quite complicated, it is conducted in a closed and filtering operating room using sterile instruments. Patients are given antibiotics before, during and even after the surgery to reduce the risk of an infection. However, even with all these precautions, infections may occur at times. The risk of infection is more in patients with diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and patients taking cortisone.

9. Allergic Reaction Rarely, there are some allergic reactions affecting patients. Normally, if it happens, it affects the metal used in the prosthetic implant. Patients aware of their own metal allergies should request for a test to ensure that the implant components are safe. For all these reasons, there is knee replacement implants prepared with ceramic coating so that the metal remains unexposed to the tissue.