July 23, 2012
Joint replacement surgery may impact your heart
The risk of a heart attack may be increased shortly after
total hip or knee replacement surgery, according to research.
A Danish study followed patients who
had undergone joint replacement surgery. Heart attack
risk was found to increase 25-fold in the first two weeks
after hip replacement and 31-fold for knee replacement.
Doireann Maddock, our Senior Cardiac
Nurse, said: “This study examines a potentially interesting
link, but it ignores key risk factors for a
heart attack such as smoking, blood
pressure and body mass index.
If you're due to have knee or hip replacement surgery, don’t be overly alarmed by these findings
"Further research into
the relationship between joint replacement surgery and heart
attacks must take into account the part played by these
risk factors. We also need to acknowledge the
impact of
general anaesthesia, which might have
contributed to the increased heart attack risk.
“It’s important to note that these findings
are age-specific - people aged over 80 had the
most pronounced increase in risk, but no increase was found in
those younger than 60.
“If you are due to have knee or hip
replacement surgery, don’t be overly alarmed by
these findings. You can speak to your GP or practice nurse and get
a free heart health check if you are in any way concerned about
your risk of heart disease.”
This study was published online in the
Archives of Internal Medicine.