High Risk of Wound Complications Following Direct Anterior Total Hip Arthroplasty in Obese Patients

We sought to identify patient and surgical risk factors for wound complication following direct anterior total hip arthroplasty (THA) and to compare these findings with a group of posterior approach patients. We retrospectively reviewed 716 direct anterior THAs performed by a single surgeon and 3040 posterior THAs from our institution performed from 2010 to 2014. Wound complications were noted in 1.7% of DA cases and 1.9% of posterior cases (P = 0.76). Obesity was a stronger risk factor for wound complication in DA patients (HR 4.3, P = 0.018) than in posterior approach patients (HR 1.4, P = 0.22). The increased risk of wound complication should be taken into consideration prior to direct anterior THA in obese patients.