Total joint replacement is one of the most commonly performed elective orthopaedic surgical procedures, with approximately 700,000 patients undergoing total knee replacement and 330,000 undergoing total hip replacement each year in the United States. Clinical results for contemporary implants and current-generation surgical techniques are both excellent and enduring, with >90% of implants expected to survive at least 10 years post-operatively for both total hip replacement and total knee replacement 2,3. In light of such outstanding clinical outcomes, it is easy to see how total hip and total knee replacement have come to be regarded as routine procedures, and yet as surgeons, we know that they still represent major surgical interventions with the potential for substantial morbidity or mortality.