Get your health question answered instantly from our pool of 18000+ doctors from over 80 specialties
159 Doctors Online

By proceeding, I accept the Terms and Conditions

Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

HCM Blog Instant Access to Doctors
HCM BlogQuestions Answered
HCM Blog Satisfaction

Doctor S Attention Needed For Redness And Swelling After Knee Replacement?

Had complete knee replacement on 12/16/13,infection developed, had drainage procedure on 1/20/14, and on IV antibiotics thru picc line 2 times daily. Doc visit last Friday, said if red on Tuesday come back, The incision area had sutures removed las Friday, tech pulled part of scab off because of how sutures were placed. Overall appearance of knee slight redness but not bright rad more a dull appearance and a slight swelling. Incision scabbing is forming and healing, steri strips put in place to help keep incisionfrom tearing. How do you determine if going back to doc is necessary?
posted on Sat, 15 Mar 2014
Twitter Thu, 27 Apr 2017 Answered on
Twitter Fri, 28 Apr 2017 Last reviewed on
Report Abuse
Orthopaedic Surgeon,  's  Response
Hi there. Infection after a total knee replacement is a serious issue and you need to be really careful. If your sutures have been removed you can wait for a period of ten days to two weeks and have another visit to the doctor so that he can asses how your wound healing is going on. Since you've already had two operations over the knee, the skin over the knee is likely to have suffered from scar formation and wound healing will be relatively poor as compared to normal skin. I would follow up any patient with periprosthetic infection following a replacement surgery closely. Also discuss with your doctor if you can mobilise your knee or not in order to prevent stiffness which is an avoidable complication.
I find this answer helpful
Note: For further queries, consult a joint and bone specialist, an Orthopaedic surgeon. Book a Call now.
Disclaimer: These answers are for your information only and not intended to replace your relationship with your treating physician.
This is a short, free answer. For a more detailed, immediate answer, try our premium service [Sample answer]
Share on
 

Related questions you may be interested in


Recent questions on Surgical suture


Loading Online Doctors....
Doctor S Attention Needed For Redness And Swelling After Knee Replacement?

Hi there. Infection after a total knee replacement is a serious issue and you need to be really careful. If your sutures have been removed you can wait for a period of ten days to two weeks and have another visit to the doctor so that he can asses how your wound healing is going on. Since you ve already had two operations over the knee, the skin over the knee is likely to have suffered from scar formation and wound healing will be relatively poor as compared to normal skin. I would follow up any patient with periprosthetic infection following a replacement surgery closely. Also discuss with your doctor if you can mobilise your knee or not in order to prevent stiffness which is an avoidable complication.