“Should I Let Them Operate Again?” Questions to Ask Before Revision Surgery
Summary
Revision surgery means operating again to fix, adjust or replace the result of an earlier operation, whether a hip or knee, a spine, a breast implant, a nose or a jaw. It is often more complex than the first operation. This guide is for people deciding whether to have revision surgery, and for those wondering whether they should have needed it at all. It covers the questions to ask, consent, second opinions, costs, and when the need for revision may point to care that fell short.
Quick answer · updated November 2026
Revision surgery usually carries more risk than the first operation, and the decision deserves time and clear answers. Ask why the first operation didn’t work, what the revision aims to achieve, the risks, the alternatives, and who will pay. Consider a second opinion, especially from a surgeon who didn’t do the first operation. If the first operation fell short, the cost and harm of revision may form part of a claim.
Revision surgery at a glance
- 1Why it failedUnderstand what went wrong the first time.
- 2Your questionsAims, risks, alternatives and costs.
- 3Second opinionIdeally from an independent surgeon.
- 4ConsentTime to decide, and a clear conversation.
- 5CostsWho pays, and whether it relates to the first surgery.
At any stage: new severe pain, fever, a hot swollen wound or loss of function after any surgery needs prompt review.
My knee replacement was meant to give me my life back. Eighteen months later I was worse than before: pain every night, a knee that buckled on the stairs.
My surgeon looked at the X-ray and said one of the parts “hadn’t settled”. He said he could do a revision in six weeks, and his secretary would send a quote.
The quote was nearly as much as the first operation. When I asked why I was paying again for something that hadn’t worked, the secretary said that was just how revisions were billed.
I sat in the car outside his rooms with the quote on my lap. I didn’t know what to ask, or whether I was allowed to ask anything at all.
A composite story, drawn from the experiences of many families I have worked with, combined and changed so that no one can be identified. It does not describe any individual client.
If you are facing revision surgery, I want you to know that it is entirely reasonable to slow down and ask questions. A second operation is a big decision, and you are allowed to understand why the first one didn’t work before agreeing to another.
This guide covers why revisions happen, the questions to ask, second opinions, consent, costs, what your records should show, and when a revision may point to a problem with the first operation.
Why I can write this
I have been a medical negligence lawyer since 2014 and have worked on many hundreds of claims, including many involving revision surgery. My doctorate looked at patterns of failure in medical negligence. I am not medically qualified. The clinical facts in this article are checked against named sources, listed in the references, and I explain how I work in our editorial standards.
Start with your question
- What is revision surgery?
- Why does surgery need to be revised?
- What should I ask before revision surgery?
- Is revision surgery riskier?
- Should I get a second opinion before revision?
- Who pays for revision surgery?
- Could the need for revision be negligence?
What revision surgery is
Revision surgery is a further operation to correct, adjust or replace the result of an earlier one. It is common after joint replacements, spinal fusion, breast implants, rhinoplasty and jaw surgery. Some revisions are planned or expected over time; others happen because something went wrong.
Definition
Revision means operating again on the same area to fix or redo the first operation.
In plain terms: a second attempt, usually harder than the first.
Why surgery needs revising
Reasons vary by operation. For knee replacements, for example, healthdirect lists wear, infection, the joint coming out of place, and a fracture near the implant.1 Other reasons include hardware loosening, nerve or tissue damage, a poor cosmetic or functional result, or the wrong procedure for the problem. Understanding the reason matters, both for your decision and for whether the first operation was done properly.
Questions to ask
Choosing Wisely Australia suggests five questions before any test, treatment or procedure: do I really need it, what are the risks, are there simpler or safer options, what happens if I do nothing, and what are the costs?2 For revision surgery, add:
Questions specific to revision
- Why exactly did the first operation not work?
- What will this operation do differently?
- How likely is it to succeed, and what does success look like?
- How many revisions of this kind do you do?
- What happens if it doesn’t work?
- Will I be charged, and if so, why?
Risks
Revision surgery is often more complex than the first operation because of scar tissue, changed anatomy and, sometimes, lost bone or tissue. For knee revision, healthdirect lists risks including nerve and blood vessel damage, the bone splitting, infection, loosening and ongoing pain or stiffness that may be permanent.1 Ask your surgeon for the risks that apply to your revision specifically.
Second opinions
A second opinion is especially valuable before revision. A surgeon who did not do the first operation can give an independent view of why it failed and whether revision is the right next step. Bring your operation notes and imaging. Our guide to getting a second opinion explains how.
Consent
Unless it is urgent, you should have time to decide. Consent involves a real conversation about the aims, risks and alternatives, not just a form.3 Our guide to consent before spinal surgery explains what that conversation should cover.
Costs
Ask in writing what the revision will cost and whether the surgeon will charge, given the first operation didn’t achieve its aim. Some surgeons reduce or waive their fee. Check your health fund’s cover using the item numbers. Our guide to jaw surgery costs explains written estimates, and the same principles apply to other revisions.
When to get help
Ask for a review
- Pain returning or worsening
- Loss of function
- A result very different from what was planned
In plain terms: ask for imaging and an explanation.
Urgent
- A hot, red, swollen wound
- Fever
- Sudden severe pain or loss of movement
In plain terms: same-day care.
See also our guides to spinal fusion hardware failure, the Exactech knee recall and rhinoplasty grafts.
I got a second opinion from a surgeon at a different hospital. She looked at my X-rays for a long time, then asked to see the first operation note.
She said the tibial component had been placed at an angle that would almost certainly cause problems. “It didn’t fail to settle,” she said. “It was put in crooked.”
She did my revision. It was harder than the first operation, and the recovery took months. I walk well now, though not perfectly.
My son drove me home from that second-opinion appointment. “So you were going to pay him again,” he said, “to fix his own mistake.” I hadn’t even known to ask.
A composite story, drawn from the experiences of many families I have worked with, combined and changed so that no one can be identified. It does not describe any individual client.
What to look for in the records
Your records are often where the story becomes clear. You have a right to access your own health information. In NSW the Health Records and Information Privacy Act 2002 covers both public and private providers, and the Information and Privacy Commission explains how to ask.4 Our step-by-step guide to getting your medical records in Australia walks you through it.
| Record | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| First operation note | Records what was done and the components or technique used. |
| Imaging before and after | Shows positioning and changes over time. |
| Follow-up notes | Show your symptoms and what was said about them. |
| Revision recommendation and quote | Shows what was proposed and charged. |
| Second opinion letter | An independent view of why the first operation failed. |
| Revision operation note | Records what was found when the area was opened again. |
| Your own diary, photos and messages | Notes made at the time are evidence too. Keep them. |
How the law looks at it
Needing revision surgery is not automatically a sign of negligence. Implants wear, bodies heal differently, and some operations have a known failure rate. The legal questions are whether the first operation met the expected standard, whether problems afterwards were recognised promptly, and whether you were properly informed.
A claim usually turns on three questions: whether the care fell below what peers would widely accept as competent practice (section 5O of the Civil Liability Act 2002 (NSW))5, whether that shortfall probably caused harm you wouldn't otherwise have had (Tabet v Gett)6, and, where it matters, whether you were told the material risks first (Rogers v Whitaker)73. Our guide to how a medical negligence claim works explains each one in plain terms.
In a revision case, the questions might be: was the first operation the right one for you? Was it performed to an acceptable standard, for example were implants positioned correctly? Were problems afterwards investigated promptly? Were you told about the chance of needing revision?
In plain terms, the question is whether careful surgery the first time would probably have avoided the need for revision, or the harm that followed.
For the first operation, that would usually include the chance of failure and revision. For the revision, it would include the higher risks of a second operation.
Who can claim, and when
The person who had the surgery can claim. In NSW, time usually runs from when you knew, or ought to have known, enough to claim, not from the treatment itself, and courts can sometimes extend it, so an old injury may still count. See time limits in NSW or other states, and ask early.
More: complaint or claim? · how a claim is paid for · what a claim can cover
In my practice
In revision files, the operation note from the second surgery is often the most revealing document. It describes what the revising surgeon found when they opened the area again: a component at the wrong angle, a screw in the wrong place, tissue that should have been preserved. People are often surprised that the answer was written down all along. A second, independent surgeon’s view is frequently what first raises the question.
Both things can be true
Your first surgeon may have been well-regarded and caring, and the operation may still have fallen short. Revision may be the right next step, and you can still want to know why it was needed.
The bigger picture
You can check a surgeon’s registration on the Ahpra public register,8 and complaints in NSW can go to the Health Care Complaints Commission.9 Our surgical errors and hospital negligence page brings together related guides, and our guide to open disclosure explains your right to be told what happened.
Support
You don't have to work through this alone. These services can help:
- Lifeline, 24-hour crisis support: 13 11 14 (listed on healthdirect's helplines page)10
- Beyond Blue, anxiety and depression support: 1300 22 4636
- Medicare Mental Health, help finding mental health support: 1800 595 212
- healthdirect, 24-hour nurse advice: 1800 022 222
- Health Care Complaints Commission (NSW): 1800 043 159
A man who nearly paid twice now knows what the first operation note said. You deserve that clarity before deciding too.
With care,
Rosemary
Frequently asked questions
What is revision surgery?
A further operation to fix, adjust or replace the result of an earlier one.
Is revision surgery riskier than the first operation?
Often, because of scar tissue and changed anatomy. Ask about your specific risks.
Should I get a second opinion before revision?
It is reasonable, ideally from a surgeon who didn’t do the first operation.
Should I pay for revision of a failed operation?
Ask in writing. Some surgeons reduce fees, and if the first operation fell short, the cost may form part of a claim.
What questions should I ask?
Why it failed, what will be different, the risks, the alternatives and the costs.
Can I claim if I needed revision surgery?
You may well have a claim if the first operation fell below the accepted standard and caused the need for revision.
Facing revision surgery?
When you're ready, and not before, I can look at what happened and help you understand your options.
Surgical and hospital care guides
- “Should I let them operate again?” Questions to ask before revision surgery (you are here)
- “My oxygen dropped and nobody told me”: When colonoscopy sedation goes wrong
- Hypoxic brain injury during surgery or sedation
- “They said it was a pulled muscle”: Missed blood clots (DVT and PE)
- Sepsis and leg removal: when is that medical negligence?
Part of our guide to surgical errors and hospital negligence. Not sure where you stand? Try the free claim checker.
References
- healthdirect. Revision total knee replacement.
- Choosing Wisely Australia. 5 questions to ask your doctor before you get any test, treatment or procedure.
- Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care. Informed consent.
- Information and Privacy Commission NSW. Fact sheet: Accessing your health information in NSW.
- Civil Liability Act 2002 (NSW) s 5O, Standard of care for professionals.
- Tabet v Gett [2010] HCA 12.
- Rogers v Whitaker [1992] HCA 58; (1992) 175 CLR 479.
- Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency. Register of practitioners.
- Health Care Complaints Commission NSW. Home page.
- healthdirect Australia. Mental health helplines.
Stories in this article are composites, drawn from the experiences of many families I have worked with, combined and changed so that no one can be identified. They do not describe any individual client.
Dr Rosemary Listing, PhD (Law), Medical negligence lawyer since 2014 · Of Counsel, Peter Evans & Associates. Rosemary's doctorate examined patterns of failure in medical negligence, and she teaches health law at the University of Newcastle. She is not medically qualified. About Rosemary.
Last updated: 10 November 2026 · First published: 10 November 2026 · Next review: May 2027
Cite this article: Listing R. “Should I let them operate again?” Questions to ask before revision surgery. Reframe Legal. Published 10 November 2026. https://reframelegal.com/revision-surgery-questions/
This article is general information, not legal or medical advice. It does not create a lawyer–client relationship. Speak to your treating clinicians about your health, and get legal advice about your own situation.
If you are in danger or need urgent medical help, call 000. For crisis support, call Lifeline on 13 11 14.
Legal services are provided by Peter Evans & Associates.