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Knee replacement swollen and blood filled 8 months later
My mother-in-law had total knee replacement in early June. She has had persistant swelling and significant pain that has not improved even 8 months later. She has had blood drawn off twice, but it returns. A CT scan showed no bleeding, blood was tested and no issues, x-rays show everything is good. We met with dr today and he feels that there is an infection as she tests a minute over the normal range. He feels that she needs to undergo the replacement surgery with a temporary and then later with the final replacement. My worry is that this might not even be an infection as there is really no clear indication that it is. I really don't want her to go through the surgery again if possible, any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. We are getting a 2nd opinion on Monday.
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@pirate1 In a case like this a second opinion is definitely a good choice. There are orthopedic surgeons who are good at handling problems after implant, and some work hand-in-hand with an infectious disease specialist. Removing an implant is a big step, has the doctor tried other strategies besides drawing off the blood and fluid?
They sent the blood to an infectious disease place. It came back inconclusive. We are going Monday to an orthopedic surgeon who specializes in knees and hips only. Will more than likely go to a larger hospital with more specialized doctors. Really don't want to have another surgery as she is 75.
I am with you I would get second opinion from a total different office than the one your mother in law is going to…maybe they can get a better sample to test …. Just with what that dr said I would not have surgery…. Sometimes we need to advocate for our loved ones …. I have been through it 2 tkr same knee year apart…. Needless to say i am big on second opinions and explaining of exactly why and what may have went wrong the first time so can hopefully prevent things from going wrong….
Good luck hope you find that right Dr that will help
I am dealing with the same issue. At my 1 year follow up the x-ray showed fluid in the joint. He aspirated it and it was bloody. Had a MRI and CT scan. No infection and everything looks good with the alignment. Sent me to PT and having me do strengthening exercises. It is swollen and stiff. I have lost the mobility I gained in PT after surgery. Everything went well until now. They are thinking tendinitis in the knee. My surgeon said this happens to 3% of patients. Not happy about this.
I had a knee replacement two yrs ago and has bother ed me feom day one went back sevw r al times to dr wqs told it get better now i have something g laoting around said ita thd button off bavj puttong me for surgery has anyone had this happen
Hi, I am 5 years post total knee - Zero problems for 5 years, the all of a sudden it started swelling for no apparent reason - I'm active and play lots of pickleball (very competitive!!). My 2nd time back to the Dr and he drained it - it was all blood. he suggested conservative activity, some PT etc... I continued to have swelling, and he drained it again, and again it was all blood. He at that point suggested Genicular Artery Embolization (GAE). Its a procedure that an Interventional Radiologist performs - its considered minimally invasive. It was developed for excessive bleeding in patients with TKR, (its also being used pre TKR for pain relief to avoid having a TKR). I've had my knee drained 2 more times; one of them was extremely painful - I couldn't bear any weight on my knee, I called the office and said, i'm either coming to you or going to the ER; they had someone available to drain it (more than 130cc's of blood). Anyhow, I am scheduled for the GAE tomorrow morning! I've been miserable not being able to do any activity whatsoever now for over 2 months; I have yet to know what movement is causing my bleeding. It may take me a few days, but I'll post back here to let you know how it goes; although it will be a week or so before I can test it to see if it was successful...
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3 ReactionsSo sorry you’re having to deal with this. Did your dr order a ct scan or mri? Not sure if they can do an mri on a metal implant but a ct scan or ultrasound might provide important info.
A friend had similar problem 4 years after a knee replacement , she suddenly had pain, terrible instability and had to have large quantity of blood drained. It turned out her implant was defective and had actually broken. She had revision and is doing well.
Good luck hope this works for you ….. if not you can always get second opinion…hope you find out what is going on …..