We retrospectively reviewed the results in fourteen patients in whom
salvage of an acutely infected total knee arthroplasty was attempted
between 1970 and 1981 by the implantation of a new prosthesis within two
weeks of removal of the infected one. Salvage was successful in six of the
seven patients with a low-virulence infection but in only two of the seven
patients with a high-virulence infection. Of the eight patients for whom
the result was a functioning prosthesis, two had significant restriction of
motion and one had moderate pain. If these three patients are eliminated
from analysis, the over-all success rate is only 35 per cent (five of
fourteen patients). We concluded that the implantation of another
prosthesis for the treatment of infection of a total knee arthroplasty
should be done with caution, and preferably when the infection has been
caused by a low-grade organism and after a waiting period of longer than
two weeks.