A new study has linked total knee and hip replacement surgeries to an increased risk of heart attack in older patients.
Dutch researchers found the odds of a heart attack were strongest in the first two weeks after surgery, but a smaller risk still remained up for to six weeks among hip replacement patients.
This association was also strongest in those who were 80 years-old or older, and there was no increased chance of heart attack in patients younger than 60.
Hip and knee replacement surgery is extremely common -- with an estimated 1.8 million producers performed each year worldwide.
