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Worldwide, approximately 1.8 million total knee and hip replacements are performed annually. In a 2013 observational study, investigators reported lower long-term risk for adverse cardiovascular events during a median 7-year follow-up after hip or knee replacement; they speculated that more exercise and less nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug use after surgery might explain their findings (NEJM JW Gen Med Dec 15 2013 and BMJ 2013; 347:f6187). However, that study has been criticized because short-term adverse events after surgery were excluded.
In a new observational U.K. study, researchers analyzed both short-term and long-term risks for myocardial infarction (MI) in about 40,000 patients (age, ≥50) with knee or hip osteoarthritis. Patients…