Rocky Vista University COM St. George, Utah, United States
Introduction/Purpose: Although the rate of infection in total knee arthroplasties (TKA) is as little as 1-2% in the population, the ramifications of infected orthopedic prosthesis are significant. The standard of care for a surgical site infection (SSI) greater than 30 days post-TKA includes performing an incision and drainage (I&D), synovectomy, and polyethylene liner exchange (PLE), accompanied with antibiotics. Performing a PLE is an expensive and time consuming procedure, however, it is necessary to replace the infected prosthesis.
Methods or Case Description: We describe a patient who presented with sepsis eight weeks post-TKA after contracting an SSI. The patient underwent an I&D and a synovectomy, but did not receive a PLE due to his vital instability during surgery.
Outcomes: The choice to forego the standard of care and opt to perform a less invasive procedure resulted in a positive outcome and full recovery of the patient.
Conclusion: The patient was followed after surgery and showed no further signs of infection, showing that replacing the polyethylene liner could be used on a more case to case basis with delayed joint replacement infections.
