|
|
Risks Associated With Total Knee Replacement Operation
|
> Knee Surgery > Knee Replacement Surgery
> Risks
Associated With Total Knee Replacement Operations
Risks Associated With Total Knee Replacement Operations
What are the risks associated with this operation?
Knee replacement operations are a major surgical procedure that involves potential
risks and complications you should be aware of and they include:-
Anesthesia Risks
The risks of anesthesia are small and rare. However, complications such as an allergic
reaction to anesthetic agents and problems with blood pressure during surgery could
cause a stroke or heart attack to occur. There also exists the very small chance
that one of these problems could lead to death. These are rare but obviously significant
risks.
Surgery Risks
During your surgery, care is taken to protect the blood vessels, nerves and bone
around the joint. Rarely a fracture/break of a bone may occur or a blood vessel
or nerve may be injured.
Infection Risks
Any time there is a cut on the body there is a risk of infection. Infection of the
skin and problems with wound healing occur in about 1 in 20 cases and usually resolve.
There is a 1% chance of infection occurring deep in the metal joint replacement.
We routinely give antibiotics at the time of your surgery to reduce the risk of
infection occurring. If deep infection is suspected or occurs, you will need further
surgery to clean out the infection. This will require removal of the implant (knee
replacement) and treatment with antibiotics for six weeks, before another knee replacement
could be put back in.
Blood Clot Risks
Blood clots (thrombus) occur in about 20% of patients. In the short term there is
a risk they may rarely break off and go to the lungs causing difficulty in breathing,
this is called a pulmonary embolus. There is a small risk pulmonary embolus can
lead to death. This is extremely rare.
In the long term, about 1 in 10 patients will have some residual swelling of the
leg. In order to reduce the risks of blood clots forming, you will be given sock
like devices to put on your feet following surgery which will help keep blood flowing
in your legs. Pumps will be applied to the feet helping the circulation after surgery
and blood thinning agents are generally given. All these measures help reduce the
risks of clot formation.
If a blood clot does occur, you will need to take a tablet to help thin the blood
for 3-6 months.
Risk of Persistent Pain after Knee Replacement Surgery
A small but significant number of patients continue to have persistent pain after
knee replacement surgery despite a technically well performed operation. The pain
is often better than before the operation but still troublesome.
» Read more about the benefits
and risks
of total knee replacement surgery
Total Knee Replacement Surgery, London
Mr. Jig Patel FRCS is an Orthopaedic Surgeon based in Central London and he specialises
in total knee replacement surgery.
Please contact us if you have
concerns about the risks of total knee replacement surgery and to arrange a consultation
at our
London knee clinic.
|
|