There is a small risk of infection forever more following your joint replacement. It is felt that invasive or dirty procedures such as having a catheter placed in the bladder, dental surgery or colonoscopy surgery will put your joint replacement at an increased risk of infection, especially within the first 2 years.
It is recommended that any invasive procedure performed within 2 years of a joint replacement should have appropriate antibiotics given prior to that procedure. This should continue forever with patients who are immunocompromised or have significant other medical problems.
If you suffer from:
- rheumatoid arthritis
- systemic lupus o
- drug induced immuno-suppression
- previous joint infection
- mal-nourishment
- Type 1 diabetes
- cancer
Then the need for antibiotics should be raised with the doctor or dentist who is involved at the time. If you have any concerns you should contact Dr Steve Lawrie beforehand and he will advise whether antibiotics are necessary.
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