Many patients will ask what exactly happens during the surgical procedure. During surgery we go through the same incision that you had before. It may be bit longer because the dissection is a bit larger, but we go through the same incision. Then, depending what needs replaced, those components may come out or not. So if only one component is actually loose, we can go in there and just exchange out that one component. If the knee has problems for other reasons, not including an infection, sometimes you have to talk all of the components out and replace them all. In the setting of an infection it's a little bit different because all of the metal components and plastic components have to come out and a temporary antibiotic spacer is then placed. Then down the road, once you've been treated for the infection, another knee replacement can be put back in at a separate surgery.
