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Dr. Mary OConnor
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VIDEO: Dr. O'Connor - Hip Replacement Surgery, What Are The Complications?

Dr. O'Connor explains the complications associated with hip replacement surgery.

Dr. O'Connor:
After hip replacement surgery, there’s some small risk that you could have a problem. And so it’s really important that the patient and family know what those things are. So if it happens, then get right back in to see me.

And so what we educate patients about is if you have a fever or you are starting to have concerns about your wound, whether it’s red or there’s drainage, then we would be worried about an infection. So that would be something that we would want the patient to give us a call, come on right back in, I need to take a look at you.

We worry about blood clots so most patients are given a blood thinner after surgery, after, even after they leave the hospital for a period of time to decrease the risk of getting a blood clot. There’s also a very small risk of the hip popping out of the socket. That’s called a dislocation, and we educate the patient, particularly the physical therapist does, on what’s a safe position to put your hip in, what’s a not safe position, to minimize that risk of a dislocation.

About Dr. O'Connor, M.D.:
Dr. Mary O'Connor, M.D., was accepted as a resident in orthopedic surgery at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, New York in 1985. She joined the orthopedic surgery staff at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida in 1991, and since 2005 has served as department chair. Dr. O'Connor cares for people with hip and knee arthritis, failed joint replacements, and pelvic tumors.

Visit Dr. O'Connor at Mayo Clinic

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