Aetiology of pulmonary dysfunction in total hip replacement operations. The influence of nifedipine on the factors involved

Patients undergoing total hip replacement surgery who developed pulmonary dysfunction (PD) demonstrated evidence of complement activation and increased thromboxane A2 (TXA2) synthesis. In a double-blind study nifedipine (Adalat; Bayer-Miles) was shown to inhibit complement activation and TXA2 synthesis and thus appears to offer protection against PD.