Infection after total hip arthroplasty

Kaltsas, Dimitris S

Department of Orthopaedics, King George Hospital, Ilford, Essex, UK

Correspondence to: Dimitris S Kaltsas, Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon, King George Hospital, Barley Lane, Ilford, Essex IG3 8YB, UK. Tel: +44 (0) 208 970 8116; Fax: +44 (0) 208 501 2351; E-mail: [email protected]

Annals of the Royal College of Surgeons of England 86(4):p 267-271, July 2004.

Total hip joint replacement offers dramatic improvement in the quality of life but deep infection is the most feared complication of this procedure. The infection threatens the function of the joint, the preservation of the limb, and occasionally even the life of the patient. For the surgeon it is a disastrous anticlimax, which follows a procedure that may have given the patient freedom from pain and increased mobility.