Is Knee Arthroplasty Safe, When a Plant Foreign Body is Encountered in Knee Soft Tissue of Agricultural Workers During Surgery?

BACKGROUND

The presence of a foreign body in knee soft tissue detected during arthroplasty surgery has not been reported. The decision to proceed with the proposed knee arthroplasty surgery after removal of the foreign body can be challenging, as there are no guidelines in the literature.

METHODS

Reporting 24 cases of the tip of thorn plant foreign bodies, detected among 822 consecutive knees, exposed for arthroplasty surgery by a single surgeon, between June 2012 and May 2018.

RESULTS

The localized foreign bodies detected were tip of thorn, consistent with plant material without significant inflammatory or infective reaction. Bacteriological and fungal cultures were sterile. All patients after foreign body removal underwent the proposed total knee arthroplasty surgery and were infection free at 5 years of follow-up.

CONCLUSIONS

A safe knee implant arthroplasty surgery can be performed if an asymptomatic plant foreign body is encountered during surgery.