The patient/caregiver was educated on findings to watch for and report to the physician after knee replacement surgery as follows:
Signs and symptoms of infection:
- After knee replacement surgery, patients and caregivers must keep a close watch for any signs and symptoms of evolving infection, such as, fever, foul smelling drainage from the surgical site, progressively increasing pain and swelling of the joint.
- During the immediate post-surgical phase, while you were in the hospital, your doctor could keep you on antibiotics to prevent infection.
- Your doctor could also send you home or call into your pharmacy for a course of antibiotics, if need be. So, report to your physician immediately regarding any signs and symptoms of infection.
Signs and symptoms of clot formation:
- As the mobility and range of motion in the joint is limited during immediate post-surgical phase, blood tends to pool in the deep veins of the limb and increase risk for clot formation.
- Usually, clots are formed at the level of calf muscle in lower extremities. Large blood clots formed in the lower extremities can occlude the veins and obstruct the blood return in these veins towards the heart. Consequently, this can result in diffuse swelling of the leg below the level of the clot, due to the accumulation of blood.
- Also, occlusion of the vein by the clot can result in localized inflammation of the vein. This can lead to pain and pinpoint tenderness at the site of clot formation, usually at the level of calf muscle, with some redness and elevation of temperature at the site of the clot deposition in the limb.
- After knee replacement surgery, patients and caregivers must keep a close watch for any above-mentioned signs and symptoms of clot formation and report to the physician at the earliest for measures to prevent further complications.
