Violakis Georgiladakis Emmanouil, Varvarousis Konstantinos, Christoforou Andreas, Orphanides Antonis, Pastroudis Alexandros
Department of Orthopaedics, Asklipieio Voulas General Hospital, Athens, GRC.
Cureus. 2025 Aug 7;17(8):e89585. doi: 10.7759/cureus.89585. eCollection 2025 Aug.
Postoperative infections following orthopedic fixation can lead to devastating consequences, particularly in patients with comorbidities such as diabetes mellitus. We present a rare case of a 61-year-old female patient with a patella fracture treated with tension band wiring who developed a severe polymicrobial infection resulting in complete destruction of the patellar tendon. Multiple debridements, removal of implants, and prolonged targeted antibiotic therapy were necessary. Ultimately, a skin graft was required for closure, and a multidisciplinary team recommended against further reconstructive procedures due to high risk. The patient opted to retain limited function without undergoing knee arthrodesis. This case emphasizes the critical importance of early infection control, multidisciplinary coordination, and individualized patient-centered care in complex orthopedic infections.
骨科内固定术后感染可能会导致灾难性后果，尤其是在患有糖尿病等合并症的患者中。我们报告了一例罕见病例，一名61岁女性髌骨骨折患者采用张力带钢丝固定治疗，发生了严重的多微生物感染，导致髌腱完全破坏。需要多次清创、取出植入物以及长期的针对性抗生素治疗。最终，需要植皮来闭合创口，多学科团队因风险高而建议不进行进一步的重建手术。患者选择保留有限功能而不进行膝关节融合术。该病例强调了在复杂的骨科感染中早期感染控制、多学科协调以及以患者为中心的个体化护理的至关重要性。
