Infection After Knee Replacement Surgery: Top 3 Signs

Lyfboat.com
Aug 25, 2017 · 2 min read

Knee replacement surgery is a complex procedure in which a part of the natural knee is replaced with an artificial component. Like any other surgery, there are a few risks and complications associated with knee replacement as well and post-surgical infection is one of them.

According to the statistics furnished by the American Association of Orthopedic Surgeons, less than 2 percent of the knee replacement candidates may develop an infection within a few days or weeks of the surgery. Even though post-surgical infection is treatable, the extent and the success of treatment primarily depends on how early or late the infection is detected.

This is the reason why patients should carefully look for any early signs of infection and inform their surgeon about it. The surgeon would accordingly intervene and take an appropriate action to control and treat the infection.

Post-surgical infection in the case of knee replacement typically affects the area around the incision site. The patient who gets an infection may experience a single symptom or a group of symptoms.

The following are the top signs of infection after knee replacement surgery:

Changes in the skin around the knee

Note for subtle changes in the appearance of the knee around the site of the incision. As infection manifests itself, the skin tends to become red, swollen, irritated, and inflamed. The incision site itself may start to look swollen around the staples and give a flushed appearance.

In the case of an infection, the skin may feel hard if the swelling has affected the skin beneath or around the incision site. Gradually, the skin may feel hot and painful to touch. The changes in the skin may or may not accompany the presence of a foul-smelling drainage fluid, which is the next early symptom of an infection.

Foul-smelling drainage fluid

It is normal for knee replacement candidates to experience drainage of clear, watery fluid from the site of incision for a day or two. However, drainage of any colored, pus-containing or bloody fluid from the incision site is not normal and is a clear sign of an infection. The drainage in such cases may look cloudy, green-tinged, or yellowish. The fluid could either be thick or watery and without an odor or foul-smelling.

Pain and Fever

Pain after knee replacement is common and it may last for a few weeks. However, a throbbing or sharp pain in the knee must be checked by a surgeon, especially if it accompanies a rise in body temperature. A combination of these two conditions, in addition to chills, are a clear sign of a post-surgical infection.

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