How are infection and blood clots prevented after a knee replacement?

Reducing infection risk before surgery

• Diabetes control: high blood sugar slows healing and increases infection risk, so your HbA1c is checked and improved before surgery where needed
• Skin: cuts, eczema, ulcers or infections on the leg are treated first; avoid shaving the leg in the days before surgery
• Teeth and urine: an active dental abscess or urinary infection should be treated before the operation
• Smoking: stopping, even for a few weeks around surgery, improves wound healing
• Weight and nutrition: good nutrition and treating anaemia support healing

During and after the operation

Antibiotics are given just before surgery and for a short time afterwards. The operation takes place in a theatre with strict sterile protocols. Afterwards, keep the dressing clean and dry, follow instructions about showering and wound care, and do not apply creams or traditional remedies to the wound until it has fully healed.

Later in life, tell any doctor or dentist that you have a knee replacement, and get infections anywhere in the body treated promptly, because bacteria in the blood can occasionally reach the joint.

Preventing blood clots

Surgery on the leg and reduced movement increase the risk of a clot in the deep veins of the calf or thigh. Prevention usually combines a blood-thinning medicine, given as tablets or injections for a few weeks depending on your risk, with getting up and walking from the first day, ankle pumping exercises and sometimes compression stockings or devices. Drink enough water, especially in the Qatari heat, and avoid long periods without moving.

Warning signs to act on

Seek medical help the same day for increasing knee pain, spreading redness, wound leakage, fever or chills. Go to an emergency department immediately for a painful, swollen calf, sudden breathlessness or chest pain. At Aman Hospital, Dr. Gelber reviews your personal risk factors before surgery and explains which precautions apply to you and for how long.