Early death following primary total hip arthroplasty.

Abstract

This study aims to describe the timing, cause of death, and excess surgical mortality associated with primary total hip arthroplasty when compared to a population awaiting primary total hip arthroplasty. Mortality rates were calculated at cutoffs of 30 and 90 days post-operation or following the addition to the waiting list. Cause of death was recorded from the death certificate. An excess surgical mortality of 0.256% at 30 days (P = 0.002) and 0.025% at 90 days post-operation (P = 0.892), unaffected by age or gender, was seen with myocardial infarction and pneumonia the cause of death in the majority of cases. By using a more appropriate control population, an excess surgical mortality at 30 days post-operation is demonstrated; the effect diminishes at 90 days post-operation.