New Total Knee replacement issue

Goodie2shoes · ‎04-30-2012

My knee replacement was on 9/30, still in therapy and it's going well. I did have a small set back and posted here about my extreme leg pain which caused me to go to the emergency room 11/3. My question now is has anyone had the incision or a portion of it reopen? The majority of the incision has healed well but there is about a 1 to 1 1/2" part that has a scab on it and has now opened with a small amt of clear to bloody drainage. No pain. I notified the doctor's office this past Tuesday, they requested I send them a picture so I did but the Doctor was not concerned. With a little more opening and more drainage this morning I took another picture, emailed it to the Doctor's office and they called me back to advise no concern. I had PT this morning and was concerned it may further open but it didn't. Anyone else have this happen and what was the outcome ?

SeaMaiden · ‎03-10-2010

@Goodie2shoes wrote:
My knee replacement was on 9/30, still in therapy and it's going well. I did have a small set back and posted here about my extreme leg pain which caused me to go to the emergency room 11/3. My question now is has anyone had the incision or a portion of it reopen? The majority of the incision has healed well but there is about a 1 to 1 1/2" part that has a scab on it and has now opened with a small amt of clear to bloody drainage. No pain. I notified the doctor's office this past Tuesday, they requested I send them a picture so I did but the Doctor was not concerned. With a little more opening and more drainage this morning I took another picture, emailed it to the Doctor's office and they called me back to advise no concern. I had PT this morning and was concerned it may further open but it didn't. Anyone else have this happen and what was the outcome ?

@Goodie2shoes I would be concerned about infection.

pdlinda · ‎10-23-2011

@Goodie2shoes

I had my right knee replaced on 10/9 and the incision is completely healed. If anything like you described happened to me I'd get in to see my operating surgeon ASAP.

The only problem I'm having is with my GOOD LEG (knee) that has stiffened up. My doc ordered an MRI and more arthritis than was seen on the X-Ray was found so I'm going to his office tomorrow for a "gel injection" that I hope helps me.

Good luck and please let us know how you're doing.

BelindaOBX · ‎06-10-2015

Clear to bloody drainage is not usually a sign of infection. I would be concerned if it become red and hot to the touch. I

RedTop · ‎09-01-2010

I did in fact deal with an open incision, but it was because the glue did not hold, and was discovered 2 weeks into recovery when the tape was pulled off the incision. Everything above the knee was splayed wide open down to the sutured layers.

My options were to let it heal on its own, or have another surgery to clean it out and close it up. I chose to let it heal on its own. I cleaned the wound 3x a day with diluted peroxide, kept it covered well with gauze pads. I only needed 9 PT sessions to reach bend and flex goals, so after that I stayed inside my home to avoid any exposure. The incision did close on its own. My surgery was in mid Oct., my last recheck appt was Nov. 21st, and I did not leave my house until Feb. 15th. My scar was very noticeable for awhile, but with daily massaging, vitamin E oil, and scar gel, it is flat and faded now.

Everyone I know who has experienced a surgical wound re-opening this far into recovery, either overdid it with physical activity, or developed an infection. Since your wound is draining, I would be concerned it reopened because of a building infection. I personally would insist on a culture of that fluid, and appropriate treatment! I do not agree with your surgeons lack of concern, and if he does not address the issue, see your medical doctor! I also urge you to cover this open wound.

Foxxee · ‎10-03-2014

First coming to mind is an infection or a strong possibility of one.

Annabellethecat66 · ‎03-12-2010

@Goodie2shoes Two year ago I had double knee replacement..both knees done at same time.

I went to rehab for 20 days, lived there.

I have something called IGG. When I get sick (which isn’t often) it takes a long time for me to get well, same thing with cuts.

During my my stay in rehab 2 times I had to be taken back to my Drs office because one small area in the bottom part of the incision didn’t want to heal.

My Dr is famous ( so I’ve been told) for the kind of incisions he makes with knee replacement.

They are very large “C”’s around the kneecap.

I’ve had other Drs and surgeons ask me if they could see how he does it.

He retired right after he operated on my knees. He’s on the board of a lot of hospitals now. He isn’t very old...just stopped operating.

I have a lot of problems with my back so the knee replacement was very easy.

It was one of the best things I did.

I never had a lot of drainage or anything, the bottom of the incision just didn’t want to heal like he wanted. He kept telling (teasing me) that he wanted to retire but couldn’t until I became fully healed.

I hope you get better soon. Take care.

SXMGirl · ‎07-07-2010

@RedTop What brand of scar gel did you use?

The next time that I hear salt and ice together, it better be in a margarita!

Miss Shelly · ‎03-28-2011

I would insist on an appt. so the Dr. can actually see and manipulate the incision. Years ago I had an ovary removed with a midline abdominal incision. A few weeks into it when I wasn't in so much pain and started turning on my stomach during sleep, my night clothes always had a rusty stain towards the end of the incision. When I called the Dr. kept telling me it was okay. One morning I woke up and there was a lot more on my night shirt. I called and insisted I come to the office and took the night shirt with me. When he saw the shirt he had me lay on the table and poked around. He then took a long q-tip and poked in the spot that was leaking. Well, that open the flood gates. Seems fluid had gotten trapped between the last of the healing layers. I was sent home on antibiotics with steristrips.

My point is be persistent and make them see it in person.