Survival of total hip replacements

Although total hip replacement is a successful procedure for many, there is potential for post-operative complications, such as bleeding, wound dehiscence, infection, and dislocation, among others.1–4 Although most complications can be prevented or medically managed, the ultimate effects of these complications can compromise the prosthesis, resulting in early implant failure.5 However, not all early component failures are directly attributable to post-operative complications. As Jonathan Evans and colleagues6 report in The Lancet, given enough time in situ, all implants will eventually fail.