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. Speaking on behalf of the British Heart Foundation, Doireann Maddock, 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. Patients due to have knee or hip replacement surgery, should not 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 is 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.” The study was published online in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
