[yorkietalkjilly]

Oh, I am so sorry to hear that. But at least most kinds of staph are treatable. P/O infections are not common after surgery on joints but they do happen from time to time in orthopedics. Was Alex' original knee surgery one that involved going into the joint capsule - such as a meniscal tear repair or debridement/partial excision or ACL repair? The culprit often turns out to be the O.R. room used or an O.R. staff member. Most po staff infections are picked up in the hospital setting, especially among patients with weakened immune systems. Years ago, the hospital where the orthopedic surgeon I worked for was on staff, had multiple post-op staph infections & the Health Department had to close one of their O.R.'s down for a period of time & 5 of our knee surgery patients were victims of it. We had to have our own clinic where those patients were followed up specially cleaned & take all kinds of precautions to avoid its spread to other patients. It was a nightmare. All surgeons have patients with p/o infections & that doesn't mean they did anything unsanitary, etc., such as in my employer's case. It it just one of the known hazards of surgery and/or being in a healthcare facility. You might check your surgeon & the hospital's p/o staph infection rate in the last year if you want before he has any other procedures under similar circumstances. Management of p/o staph can be tough. Keep a close eye on Alex' wound & knee & him generally, watching other cuts, if urination is burning, sniffles, etc. Take him into an E.R. at the first sign of anything untoward. If need be, you could always see a specialist in Infectious Disease for a second opinion. I wish Alex an uncomplicated recovery.