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Risks
By Mayo Clinic staffAs with any surgery, knee replacement surgery carries risks, including:
- Infection
- Knee stiffness
- Blood clots in the leg vein (thrombophlebitis) or lungs (pulmonary embolism)
- Heart attack
- Stroke
- Nerve damage
Risks of serious complications are rare. Fewer than 2 percent of people undergoing knee replacement surgery experience serious complications. Put another way, for every 100 knee replacement procedures, one or two people will experience serious complications.
Infection can occur years after surgery
Infection is an ongoing concern. Even years after surgery, bacteria can travel through your bloodstream and infect the surgical site.
Contact your doctor immediately if you notice:
- Fever greater than 100 F (38 C)
- Shaking chills
- Drainage from the surgical site
- Increasing redness, tenderness, swelling and pain in the knee
If antibiotics fail to clear up the infection, you usually need one surgery to remove the infected joint and another surgery to install a new one. Your chances of a good or excellent outcome that reduces pain and improves function decline with each additional surgery.
Artificial knees can break
Another risk of knee replacement surgery is failure of the new knee joint. Subjected to daily stress, even the strongest metal and plastic parts eventually wear out. You're at a greater risk of joint failure if you're a young, obese male or you have complicating conditions.
