Low serum zinc level as a predictive factor of delayed wound healing in total hip replacement.

Delayed wound healing after total arthroplasty puts the patient at risk for superficial and deep infection, with substantial economic and social consequences. The objective of this study was to assess serum zinc levels as a tool for predicting such a delay in patients with primary osteoarthritis or osteoarthritis secondary to avascular necrosis. We conducted a prospective study of 80 total hip arthroplasties, analyzing possible correlations between delayed healing and serum zinc, nutritional parameters, and other demographic and epidemiological variables. The predictive value of preoperative serum zinc levels and lymphocyte counts was confirmed; thus, an arthroplasty procedure could be timed to minimize risk.