Background: The number of surgical procedures for total hip arthroplasty has increased worldwide, in a direct proportion to the increase in life expectancy of the population. Surgical site infection is the main complication, with several related factors for its occurrence. The objective of this study was to evaluate the incidence of surgical site infection in patients undergoing elective total hip arthroplasty in a tertiary hospital in Brazil, and to identify possible risk factors involved in surgical site infections within the context of Brazilian healthcare. Methods: A total of 130 patients who have undergone total hip arthroplasty, performed by two surgeons, between June of 2015 and April of 2017 were studied. The Cox regression model was used to identify which covariates among those surveyed influenced the follow-up time, and the hazard ratio was calculated. Results: The incidence of SSI within 90 days after surgery was 5.4%, with all identified infections classified as superficial. A multivariate survival analysis indicated diabetes and previous hip surgery as risk factors for surgical site infection. Conclusions: The knowledgement of the epidemiological aspects of orthopedic surgical site infection, are important for management of actions for infection prevention