Sixty-five year old Stephen has knee replacement surgery which requires a thin section of his distal femur to be removed. Which of the following statements is true?
A) Due to the invasive nature of the surgical procedure, Stephen is at risk for osteomyelitis, a bacterial infection of bone.
B) Stephen has no risk of osteomyelitis because he tests negative for Staphylococcus aureus when given a skin swab.
C) The health care team informs Stephen he is at high risk for osteomyelitis due to his age.
D) As long as the surgery has minimal bleeding, Stephen will have no risk for developing osteomyelitis.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Due to the invasive nature of the surgical procedure, such as cutting into bone, there is an inherent risk of infection, including osteomyelitis, regardless of preoperative skin swab results or the amount of bleeding during surgery. Age can be a factor in recovery and risk of complications, but it does not directly correlate with a high risk of osteomyelitis in the absence of other factors.

Sixty-Five Year Old Stephen Has Knee Replacement Surgery Which Requires