Statistical analysis of perioperative and postoperative mortality of patients with prosthetic replacement of the hip joint.

From 1967 to 1975 a total of 1322 hip replacement operations in 1157 patients was carried out in the Orthopaedic Hospital, University of Heidelberg. The mortality rate, as evaluated by modern methods of medical statistics, was 5.7%. The risk of fatality must be one of the main factors influencing the surgeon when considering whether to offer hip replacement to an aged patient.