Artificial Knee Manufacturers Battle With Patient Knee Infections

DePuy Knee Lawsuit News

Preloaded antibiotic knee cement may decrease the number of infections but increase the need for revision knee replacement surgeries

Thursday, January 17, 2019 - Infections have become so common in total knee replacement patients that a growing market has emerged to combat the condition. Doctors performing total knee replacement report that infections at the site of the knee replacement are the leading cause of knee revision surgeries. Up until recently, surgeons would wait until a knee infection actually occurred and then admit the patients for a "two-tiered" surgical procedure, the first part entailing the opening of an incision and removing the artificial knee and then packing the knee with an "antibiotic-loaded" spacer left in place until the infection healed. The spacers are left in for about six weeks requiring a patient to use a walker or a wheelchair. Today more and more knee surgeons are opting to treat infections before they occur by using an FDA-approved antibiotic-loaded cement to affix the artificial knee to the tibia and fibula. DePuy knee attorneys are available for a free consultation and can answer most common DePuy knee defect lawsuit questions.

There are pros and cons to using antibiotic-loaded cement as infection at the site of the knee may lead to de-bonding leaving the knee free to rotate as it chooses. Doctors opposed to using antibiotic-loaded cement claim that the product contributes to antibiotic resistance and increases the possibility of bacterial adhesion. Doctors also point out that antibiotics are not a one-size-fits-all proposition and that there is a broad spectrum of antibiotics available. It should also be pointed out that the effectiveness of antibiotic-loaded cement is based on the surgical assistant's proper mixing of the glue and antibiotic chemicals a procedure that itself is under scrutiny. Some doctors think that improperly mixing the cement is a major cause of a large number of cement failures in total knee patients. Scientists argue that preloaded antibiotic cement may actually increase the need for knee replacement revision surgeries. "The addition of antibiotics may play a role in weakening the structure and the mechanical properties of the cement. Many studies demonstrate the antibacterial effectiveness of antibiotic-loaded bone cement for the treatment of deep infections following hip and knee arthroplasty."

There is no more important aspect to successful knee replacement surgery than preventing infection, getting the bonding agent properly mixed and mechanically preparing the surfaces of the tibia and fibula to accept the cement. More people have been injured from falling down stairs or any other places such as stepping down from a curve when their knee bonding agent fails than any other catastrophic reason for artificial knee failure. Preparing an effective bond between bone and knee device may be complicated by a person being overweight or suffering from osteoporosis, a weakening of the bones and joints. Artificial knee de-bonding can cause the tibia to fracture as a person's weight is transferred to the spike that is driving into the bone marrow of the tibia. The DePuy Revision Knee System addresses many of the de-bonding and bone loss issues that their patients are suffering from yet fall short in completely correcting the infection and debonding problems.

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