The Journal of arthroplasty
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Comparative Study
Treatment of infected total knee arthroplasty. Irrigation and debridement versus two-stage reimplantation.
The results of 24 cases of deep wound infection after total knee arthroplasty were reviewed. Twenty-one knees were initially treated with irrigation and debridement. Infection recurred in 15 knees. ⋯ The average Hospital for Special Surgery knee rating was 41 in patients without a prosthesis and 75 in patients with a prosthesis (P less than .001). The authors conclude that irrigation and debridement is not likely to be successful for treatment of infections when used more than 2 weeks after the initial arthroplasty. Also, two-stage reimplantation for the treatment of infected total knee arthroplasties gives a reliably low recurrence rate and provides a superior clinical result, compared to arthrodesis or resection arthroplasty.