Bilateral Knee Arthroplasty Infections in the Setting of Infected Spinal Hardware

Abstract

Joint arthroplasty remains one of the most common elective surgeries in the United States. Orthopaedic hardware can contribute either as the primary source or as a secondary seeding site in hematogenously spread infections. Arthroplasty status should remain a focal point of history taking in both surgical and medical settings. This case details a 76-year-old woman who experienced bilateral knee arthroplasty infections after presenting with both a lumbar epidural abscess and vertebral osteomyelitis secondary to infected lumbar hardware.