Ninety-Day Mortality After Hip Arthroplasty: A Comparison Between Unilateral and Simultaneous Bilateral Procedures

This study compares the 90-day mortality of unilateral total hip arthroplasty (THA) with simultaneous bilateral THA. Patient demographics, cause of death, and risk factors for mortality after THA were investigated. A total of 6258 patients (6791 hips) received primary THA using uncemented prostheses from 1995 to 2002. There were 5725 (91%) patients who received unilateral THA, whereas 533 (9%) patients underwent simultaneous bilateral THA. Of 6258 patients, 10 (0.16%) died within 90 days of THA, none of whom underwent simultaneous bilateral THA (0%, 0/533). Simultaneous bilateral uncemented THA performed in a select group of patients carries no greater perioperative mortality rate than unilateral THA.