Joint Replacement Surgery Easier on Women

New research from Canada, reported in Arthritis Digest, reveals that women have fewer complications than do men after knee and hip replacements. Men also face higher odds than women that they will need revision surgery in a Canadian hospital.

Researchers looked at eight years of records for 37, 881 total hip replacements of which 53.8% were female and 59, 564 total knee replacements, of which 60.5% were female. Women who had hip replacements were significantly older than were the men—70 years versus 65 years—but the average age for both sexes for knee replacement was 68 years. Many of the women who went in for joint replacements were described as being frail.

Following the surgery, men were 15% more likely than women to return to the hospital’s emergency department within 30 days of their joint replacement surgery. Men were also from 60% to 70% more likely to have a heart attack within three months of receiving a joint replacement. Men were also 50% more likely to require a revision arthroplasty within two years of receiving their total knee replacement.

Lead study author Bheeshna Ravi, M.D., said, “In this study, we found that while overall rates of serious complications were low for both groups, they were lower for women than for men for both hip and knee replacement, particularly the latter.”