A research published Monday in JAMA Internal Medicine showed that women are more likely to run a risk of failure and undergoing revision surgery in hip replacements compared to men.
The study was funded by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Researchers analyzed over 35,000 surgeries at 46 hospitals in the Kaiser Permanente health system.
They found that 2.3 percent of the women and 1.9 percent of the men had undergone a repeat surgery after an average of three years, to fix such postoperative problems as instability, infection, broken bones and loosening.
According to Maria Inacio, one author of the study, a possible factor contributing to the failing for women may be the different physical structure between men and women.
Women tend to have smaller joints and bones. Devices with smaller femoral heads are inclined to dislocate and require a surgical repair.
Co-author Dr. Monti Khatod supposed that a greater loss of bone density in women is also one factor for the failing.
Up to now, it remains unclear which models of hip implants are best for women, but "I would not choose the latest, greatest hip implant if I were a woman patient. ... At least if it's been for sale for a few years, there's more evidence for how well it's working." said Diana Zuckerman, president of the nonprofit National Research Center for Women & Families, writing an accompanying commentary in the medical journal.
