Evidence guide
How long does a hip replacement last?
Modern hip replacements are durable. Here is what large studies show, and what affects whether a hip will need a second operation.
The short answer
The numbers
Scroll sideways to see every column.
| Time after surgery | Still in place | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 10 years | 95.6% | UK cohort of 63,158 hip replacements7 |
| 20 years | 85.0% | Same UK cohort7 |
| 25 years | 57.9% | National registries (Australia, Finland)6 |
| 25 years | 77.6% | Published case series, more prone to bias6 |
The study authors suggest the registry figure is the better estimate because registries capture every operation, not just those reported by specialist centers.6
Why hips need revision
What affects how long it lasts
- Age. For patients over 70, the lifetime chance of revision was about 5%. For men in their early 50s it was about 35% (hip and knee pooled).7
- Smoking. Raises the risk of infection, a major cause of early failure.9
- Implant choice. Most well-established designs perform similarly; registry data matter more than marketing. Some metal-on-metal designs performed poorly and are rarely used now.50 See implant designs.
Sources
- Ferguson RJ, et al. Hip replacement. Lancet. 2018;392(10158):1662-1671. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(18)31777-X
- Evans JT, et al. How long does a hip replacement last? A systematic review and meta-analysis of case series and national registry reports with more than 15 years of follow-up. Lancet. 2019;393(10172):647-654. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(18)31665-9
- Bayliss LE, et al. The effect of patient age at intervention on risk of implant revision after total replacement of the hip or knee: a population-based cohort study. Lancet. 2017;389(10077):1424-1430. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(17)30059-4
- Ong KL, et al. Prosthetic joint infection risk after total hip arthroplasty in the Medicare population. J Arthroplasty. 2009;24(6 Suppl):105-109. doi:10.1016/j.arth.2009.04.027
- Bedard NA, et al. Tobacco use and risk of wound complications and periprosthetic joint infection: a systematic review and meta-analysis of primary total joint arthroplasty procedures. J Arthroplasty. 2019;34(2):385-396.e4. doi:10.1016/j.arth.2018.09.089
- US Food and Drug Administration. Metal-on-metal hip implants. fda.gov/medical-devices/implants-and-prosthetics/metal-metal-hip-implants