ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY OF TRANSATRIAL EMBOLISM DURING CEMENTED AND UNCEMENTED HEMIARTHROPLASTY OF THE HIP

We performed transoesophageal echocardiography on 20 patients with fem oral neck fractures randomly treated with an uncemented Austin-Moore o r cemented Hastings hemiarthroplasty. Cemented arthroplasty caused gre ater and more prolonged embolic cascades than did uncemented arthropla sty. Some emboli were more than 3 cm in length. In some patients the c ascades were associated with pulmonary hypertension, diminished oxygen tension and saturation, and the presence of fat and marrow in aspirat es from the right atrium.