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Total knee replacement infection after 9 years.
Joint Replacements | Last Active: Oct 11, 2024 | Replies (85)Comment receiving replies
I had my first TKR in 2014 which became infected within weeks after surgery and following treatment I was fine until 2018 when it became reinfected. I had a spacer inserted and after treatment of antibiotics I had another knee implanted. To date I've had 14 surgeries including 4 TKR that all became infected. I now have had an antibiotic spacer in my knee for 10 months and have been advised to forego any further knee replacements and live with the spacer due to the high probability of reinfection. I am unable to bend my knee and live with the difficulty of walking.
Replies to "I had my first TKR in 2014 which became infected within weeks after surgery and following..."
Hi @mgorham32, I would like to add my welcome to Connect along with Chris @artscaping. It has to be difficult for you not being able to bend the knee and living with the difficulty of walking. I think you might find the following discussion helpful --- Prosthetic knee replacement infection/DAIR,/lifelong antibiotics: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/prosthetic-knee-replacement-infectiondairlifelong-antibiotics/
Here are a couple of references on infections and joint replacements...
-- The use of spacers (static and mobile) in infection knee arthroplasty: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4630232/
-- The PROSTALAC functional spacer in two-stage revision for infected knee replacements:
https://online.boneandjoint.org.uk/doi/pdf/10.1302/0301-620X.82B6.0820807
If you would like get a second opinion from Mayo Clinic, you can find the contact information for the Minnesota, Arizona and Florida campuses here http://mayocl.in/1mtmR63.
Have you considered seeking help at a major teaching hospital or health facility like Mayo Clinic?
That is a lot of surgeries for a lifetime, let alone for one joint. I am sorry for all you have been through. My cousin and I had hip replacement surgeries at the same time 15 years ago. Hers became repeatedly infected and had to be permanently removed. Until other ailments caught up with her last year, she managed using a walker at home & a wheelchair out and about. Now she uses the wheelchair or a scooter...
I see that you cannot bend the leg any more. Do you manage with a walker? Can you tell us a bit more about your situation, like whether the removal of the last implant has allowed them to cure the infection?
Sue
Connect
Welcome @gorham32 to Connect. This large group of members is made up of patients, caregivers, and providers. As mentors, we strongly believe in helping folks become their own advocates by sharing experiences with each other.
You have presented a situation that is quite a few steps beyond anything that I have experienced. However, somewhere among the 135,000 all-time members of Connect, there will be someone who has shared your medical condition. Let's hope they are reading right now.
However, it does sound like you have received some reasonable advice. Was this from your surgeon or another clinician who is aware of your problems with infections?
One of the nice things about Connect is that we have mentors who are excellent researchers. That is why I am going to introduce you to @johnbishop. Perhaps with a little more "story" from you, he will be able to find medical research that can be helpful.
Until then, I will be thinking of your situation and hoping that you can make progress to greater mobility.
May you be free of suffering and the causes of suffering.
Chris