PULMONARY-FUNCTION DURING AND AFTER TOTAL HIP-REPLACEMENT - FINDINGS IN PATIENTS WHO HAVE INSERTION OF A FEMORAL COMPONENT WITH AND WITHOUTCEMENT

Eleven patients who had a femoral component inserted with cement and t wenty-three who had a femoral component inserted without cement were s tudied prospectively for changes in the pulmonary shunt associated wit h total hip replacement. The levels of oxygen in the arterial blood an d the platelet counts were measured preoperatively and each morning fo r three days after the arthroplasty. Levels of oxygen in the arterial blood were determined intraoperatively, once before and once after the femoral component was inserted. Intraoperative shunt values increased 28 per cent when a femoral component was inserted with cement (p < 0. 05), but they did not change when cement was not used. The average pos toperative shunt values were higher than the average preoperative shun t values for both groups of patients, but only the values on the secon d postoperative day after a procedure with cement were significantly h igher (p < 0.05). The ability of the patient to tolerate an increase i n pulmonary shunt should be assessed when the femoral component is to be cemented during total hip replacement.