Introduction: To report the 11-year follow-up of patients of contaminated femoral heads donated at primary total hip replacement from a cohort study published in 2004.

Methods: Of the 440 donors, 266 patients (61%) were still alive at a mean of 11.7 years post primary total hip replacement and 170 patients (64%) agreed to review. The patients had either a positive or negative culture from their donated femoral head at primary total hip replacement. The Oxford hip score, European Quality of Life (EuroQOL) questionnaire, rates of complication and revision surgery were used as outcome measures.

Results: At long-term follow-up, the Oxford hip score was not different between the positive (mean = 36, standard deviation = 12.3) and sterile (mean = 39, standard deviation = 10.9) groups (p = 0.40). The EuroQOL questionnaire was also not different between the positive and sterile groups. There was no statistically significant difference in the rate of complications (p = 0.93) and revision surgery (p = 0.11) of the age-matched patients whose femoral heads had a positive culture compared with those whose femoral heads were sterile.

Discussion: The results of this 11-year follow-up of contaminated donated femoral heads cohort study were similar to those at short-term follow-up. Culture results of donated femoral heads play no significant role in predicting failure of primary total hip replacement in the donor at long-term follow-up.