Hip Fractures | Complications

What about complications?

A hip fracture is a serious injury, but the complications from a hip fracture can be severe or even life-threatening. If you are immobile for a long period of time after your surgery, or if you are in traction, you are at risk of developing deep vein thrombosis. Deep vein thrombosis (also called DVT) is a blood clot in a vein deep inside your body. These clots usually occur in your leg veins. If the blood clot breaks away and travels through your bloodstream, it could block a blood vessel in your lungs. This blockage (called a pulmonary embolism) can be fatal.

Other complications from immobility after hip surgery can include:

• Pressure sores
  
• Pneumonia
  
• Muscle wasting or atrophy
• Urinary tract infections