| Re: dental visits with TKR
Hi Pattyanne,
Like you, I have now had both knees replaced (Right TKR - 4/5/11 and Left TKR 3/23/12) and must take antibiotics before any invasive procedure the rest of my life. Also, like you, I am allergic to anything in the penicillin and sulfa drug families and can ONLY take antibiotics in the Mycin family of drugs.
Just one correction I want to point out to you - Amoxicillin is in the Penicillin family of drugs but does not contain Sulfa! Sulfa drugs are in a whole class of their own!
The one that my Orthopedic surgeon prescribes for me pre-dental work (including cleanings) is Clindamycin HCL (300 mg. tablets). Take TWO 300mg tablets an HOUR before your dental work and you should be fine.
Any other invasive procedure for which you would need antibiotics, such as a colonoscopy/upper endoscopy like I had in February, or any MAJOR surgery would require IV antibiotics DURING THE SURGERY!
Just ask your Orthopedic surgeon what the IV equivalent of Clindamycin is. If you should ever need surgery or invasive procedures by any other surgeon than your Orthopedic surgeon, just before your day of surgery, have your Orthopedic surgeon call and consult with your surgeon for that procedure and let him or her know that you need IV antibiotics DURING THE PROCEDURE OR SURGERY and which one you can be given without having an adverse reaction!
After my first TKR last year, my surgeon gave me a list of guidelines for various invasive procedures that I would need antibiotics for either before or during the surgery or procedure and the method of delivery and dosage. (Oral in the case of dental work and by IV for anything else.)
The guideline sheet was issued in 2009 by the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgery that explains Antibiotic Prophylaxis for Bacteremia in Patients with Joint Replacements. Ask your surgeon if he can get you a copy of these guidelines.
I'm sure the Clindamycin HCL before your dental work should be okay for you and I doubt you will have any adverse reaction to it.
Hope this info helps.
Regards,
Carol (*******)
Last edited by ldy12; 06-18-2012 at 07:50 PM.
Reason: More info; punctuation correction; spelling correction
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