Total knee arthroplasty in women with asymptomatic urinary tract infection.

Purpose: To compare early outcome after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) in women with a positive or negative urine culture.

Methods: 128 women underwent bilateral (n=89) or unilateral (n=39) primary TKA. Diabetes mellitus was present in 38%, obesity in 53%, and asymptomatic urinary tract infection (positive urine culture) in 36% of women. Women with a positive or negative urine culture were compared.

Results: In the 46 women with a positive urine culture, Escherichia coli (n=29) and Klebsiella (n=17) were grown. Women with a positive or negative urine culture were comparable in terms of the incidence of diabetes (28% vs. 43%, p=0.1), obesity (52% vs. 54%, p=0.87), fever (9% vs. 15%, p=0.32), leucocytosis (28% vs. 17%, p=0.13), and delayed wound healing (0% vs. 1%, p=0.45).

Conclusion: Women with or without a positive urine culture had comparable early complication rates following TKA.