Total knee replacement surgery (TKR) is a widely recognised procedure, also known as total knee replacement arthroplasty. It restores the ability to function and alleviates pain in patients with severe knee damage due to arthritis. The procedure includes replacing the knee joint with a prosthetic specially created to replicate the natural functions, movements, alignment, and stability of a knee joint.
The success rate of total knee replacement surgery is high. It’s a major medical procedure, that’s why the patient must be familiar with the risks and complications of knee replacement surgery.
What are the Risks of Total Knee Replacement Surgery?
Post-total knee replacement surgery complications are unfavourable, risky, and life-threatening but are also treatable once understood properly. A complete understanding of all the potential risks and complications that may develop during or post-operation is a must-have for the patients considering this treatment.
Surgical Risk
Surgical risks are those total knee replacement surgery complications that either occur while performing surgery or deep in the knee joint. Post total knee replacement complications can be caused ascribed to several reasons involving poor preoperative skin hygiene, immobility, loosening or dislocation of prosthesis, postoperative stiffness, joint inflammation, muscle weakness, improper alignment, etc. These lead to complications such as:
- Infections: Infection is a major complication of total knee replacement surgery that can occur deep in the knee joint or even at the surgical site. There are two categories of infection post-surgery:
- Superficial Infection: It originates just below or on the cutaneous surface. It is easy to treat superficial infections with a prescription of antibiotics by a medical practitioner.
- Deep Infection: This occurs in the knee joint and requires serious treatment like surgery to drain the infection, replace or remove the prosthesis, etc.
- Blood Clots: Post-total knee replacement surgery complication that can develop due to immobility or obesity is blood clots. This complication is considered life-threatening as blood clots can develop in the veins of the legs and travel to the lungs.
- Bleeding: Post-total knee replacement surgery complications that can be a result of inadequate hemostasis, injury to blood vessels, hypertension, haemophilia, use of blood thinners, strain on the affected area and excessive surgical trauma are Bleeding. It can occur from surgical sites, bone surfaces, and hemarthrosis.
Anaesthesia Complications
This complication can arise due to improper evaluation of the patient’s medical history before the total knee replacement surgery. The anaesthesia complications can develop allergy reactions, cardiovascular complications, and respiratory issues post-total knee replacement surgery.
Post Operative Risks
As the name suggests, these complications arise post-total knee replacement surgery. There are different factors leading to the listed complications.
Soft Tissue Complications
- Stiffness: Stiffness around the knee joint and reduced range of motion are the most common complications that arise post-knee replacement surgeries. This can occur due to delayed mobility, inadequate rehabilitation, formulation of scar tissue, joint inflammation, etc. This severely affects the patient’s recovery.
- Persistent Pain: Total knee replacement surgery is done to alleviate the pain, but ironically, one of the risks of total knee replacement surgery is persistent pain. This complication can occur due to factors like surgical trauma or implant-related issues.
- Delayed Wound Healing: The impaired or poor circulation of blood, diseases like diabetes, or infection in patients might result in delayed wound healing. This complication leads to delayed recovery post-operation and even raises the risk of infection.
Surgical Complications
- Joint Instability: As the name suggests, the risk of joint instability can occur post-knee replacement surgery. This complication can occur because of improper joint alignment by prosthesis, damaged ligament, and weak muscles.
- Nerve Damage: On the surgical site, the risk of nerve damage or blood vessel injury is a huge possibility. This complication often results in impaired circulation and bleeding post-total knee replacement surgery.
Implant-Related Complications
- Prosthesis/ Implant Failure: Implant failure is one of the major risks of knee replacement surgery. This complication occurs when the prosthesis becomes unstable, misaligns, shifts, wears out, loosens, or is due to bone issues.
- Allergic Reactions: A patient’s medical history should be properly evaluated before choosing a prosthesis. Certain materials in prostheses can cause allergic reactions in patients that lead to revision surgery for the replacement of the implant.
Patient-Related Risks
- Patient-Specific Risks: The quality of the patient’s lifestyle, medical history, health status, etc., are important contributing factors to whether certain complications post-knee replacement surgery can develop.
- Age: The age of the patients determines what kind of risks and complications of total knee replacement surgery they might face. Patients falling under the old or advanced age category can develop complications of delayed wound healing, infections, and improper physical function. Meanwhile, patients under the younger category can go through implant wear and tear.
- Weight: Obesity can create a lot of complications post-total knee replacement surgery. Excess weight can cause improper implant alignment in addition to accelerating the wear and tear of the prosthesis.
- Comorbid Conditions: Comorbid conditions refer to different medical conditions a patient might be going through, such as diabetes, cardiovascular conditions, chronic respiratory issues, etc. This evaluation before surgery is important for the success of the procedure and the prevention of developing complications post-total knee replacement surgery.
Conclusion
Total knee replacement surgery is an effective medical procedure with high success rates. There are certain risks and complications of knee replacement surgery. Addressing the factors affecting leading to the development of such risks and complications, such as surgical risks, post-operative risks, and patient-specific risks, must be thoroughly evaluated by both the pre or postoperative caregivers on top of the patient considering undergoing the total knee replacement surgery.
At Santokh Hospital, a specialist team of Orthopaedics and surgeons work together to curate a plan leading to a safe and risk-free surgery. In case of post-total knee replacement complications, our team of experts is always present to help in emergency and general situations.
Book a consultation with our expert team today.