Cement Burn of the Skin Following Total Knee Arthroplasty Case Report and Review of the Literature.

Abstract

Introduction: Cement burns following arthroplasty pro-cedures are a rare but serious complication. To the authors' knowledge, this report is the first of its kind in total knee arthroplasty.

Case: A 61-year-old female underwent an otherwise rou-tine left total knee arthroplasty. On postoperative day one, a 3 cm by 3 cm cement burn was noted on the distal aspect of the popliteal fossa of the operative leg. The burn was noted to be a full-thickness (third degree) burn that required plastic surgery burn service management and limited the patient's postoperative recovery and function.

Conclusions: Cement burns of the skin following total joint arthroplasty are rare, though when they do occur, they can cause significant pain and distress. Recognizing the depth of the skin involvement is important to determine the burn classification, treatment, and ultimately the prognosis to optimize outcomes.