During the weeks of February 7-17, I observed a total hip replacement on a 56-year-old Caucasian female patient who suffered from a femoral neck fracture and damage to the acetabulum. The fracture was the result of a car accident in which the patient's knees collided with the dashboard, forcing the femur into the hip and shattering the femur. For this report, I will focus on total hip arthroplasty, its components, the main surgical technique and its complications. Sir John Charnley first developed total joint arthroplasty in the 1960s (Skinner 395). During a total hip arthroplasty, “the articular surfaces of the acetabulum and femoral head are replaced” (Lemone 1241). A prosthesis is then used to replace the entire head of the femur and part of the femoral neck. An ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) prosthesis is then inserted into the remodeled acetabulum (Lemone 1242 & Skinner 395). The original procedure developed by Charnley consisted of a stainless steel prosthesis for the femur and a 22mm femoral head. We now have different femoral head sizes (22, 25, 25.4, 28, 32 and 35 mm) and different femoral lengths ranging from 110 to 160 mm (Skinner 395). The technique of bone fixation has also evolved over the years into two generic designs, cement fixation and porous in-growth prostheses (Skinner 395). Cemented and cementless prostheses are the two basic types of total hip replacement. Both types have the same bearing surfaces, either ceramic or cobalt chrome alloy which articulates with a UHMWPE bearing surface (Skinner 399). Ceramic and cobalt-chromium alloy each have their own advantages and disadvantages. Ceramic heads will theoretically produce less debris and result in longer hip replacement life, but middle of paper...screwdriver held. Total hip replacement introduced me to orthopedics, a field of medicine that manages to integrate tools with which I am familiar. Works cited “Arthroplasty and total arthroplasty”. The Lippincott Handbook of Nursing Practice. Ed. Sandra M. Nettina. 7th ed. Philadelphia: Lippincott, 2001. 993-995. Lemone, Priscilla, RN, DSN and Karen Burke, RN, MS. “Joint arthroplasty”. Medical-surgical nursing care. 3rd ed. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education, 2004. 1241-1243. Lusardi, Michelle M., PhD, PT, and Caroline C. Nielsen, PhD. “Use of orthotics in total hip arthroplasty.” Orthoses and prostheses in rehabilitation. Boston: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2000. 227-230. “Total joint arthroplasty”. Current diagnosis and treatment in orthopedics. Ed. Harry B. Skinner, MD, PhD. 3rd ed. New York: Lange Medical Books, 2003. 395-396, 398-403.