Blood loss and operation time in the Charnley low friction arthroplasty.

Review of 181 patients undergoing 194 Charnley low friction arthroplasties has shown that the average time taken for primary surgery was 65 minutes. The operative blood loss was 192 ml and postoperative drainage 437 ml. In conversion from failed hip surgery the blood loss was 260 ml at operation with an average drainage of 610 ml. The operative time was 87 minutes on average. Revision of failed hip replacement was carried out in an average time of 101 minutes. Average operative blood loss was 510 ml and postoperative drainage 680 ml. The findings show that criticism suggesting that detachment of the greater trochanter during total hip replacement increases operative time and blood loss is unfounded.