As with all major surgical procedures, complications can occur. This is not intended to be a complete list of the possible complications, but is the most common. Infection Infection can be a very serious complication following an artificial joint. Some infections may show up very early - before you leave the hospital. Others may not become apparent for months, or even years, after the operation.
Infection can spread into the artificial joint from other infected areas.
Your surgeon may want to make sure that you take antibiotics when you have dental work, or surgical procedures on your bladder and colon to reduce the risk of spreading germs to the joint. Loosening The major reason that artificial joints eventually fail continues to be a process of loosening where the metal or cement meets the bone. There have been great advances in extending how long an artificial joint will last, but most will eventually loosen and require a revision. Hopefully, you can expect 12-15 years of service from an artificial knee, but in some cases the artificial shoulder will loosen earlier than that. A loose prosthesis is a problem because it causes pain.