Fever etiology during the first postoperative days following total knee arthroplasty (TKA) may be challenging to solve. Early periprosthetic joint infection is the main reason; however, other equally important causes must be excluded such as thrombosis, deep venous thrombosis, and chest or urinary tract infections. We report the case of a 70-year-old Caucasian female patient presented with high fever reaching 39°C, fatigue, and myalgia lasting for a week after a fully cemented primary TKA. Symptoms were falsely attributed to the surgical procedure, leading to erroneous early management and a complicated postoperative course. In the era of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARs-CoV-2) pandemic, a high index of suspicion for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) symptoms and viral chest infection must be raised, primarily in vulnerable patients.
Keywords: chest infection; coronavirus disease; covid-19; infection; pneumonia; postoperative joint infection; sars-cov-2; tka; total knee arthroplasty; virus.
Copyright © 2020, Kenanidis et al.