Introduction: Primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is common and increasingly performed. Superficial surgical site infections, though rare, risk progressing to deep periprosthetic joint infection, posing a serious management challenge. Case presentation: An 81-year-old woman underwent primary TKA for osteoarthritis. Three months postoperatively, she developed an 8 × 10 cm infected necrotic wound at the incision site after self-applying nonstandard topical agents. A multidisciplinary team performed staged debridement and reconstruction, achieving successful infection control and implant preservation. Discussion: This case illustrates a severe superficial infection progressing to extensive soft tissue necrosis due to inappropriate self-treatment. The successful outcome was achieved through timely and coordinated surgical interventions by a multidisciplinary team, highlighting the critical need for structured protocols in managing such complex scenarios. This approach effectively prevented the progression to periprosthetic infection and preserved the functional implant. Conclusion: Multidisciplinary collaboration is essential for successfully managing complex post-TKA wound infections, providing a valuable framework for future high-risk orthopedic cases.
Dong et al. (Wed,) studied this question.