Presentation The patient presented 17 days post-surgery for a fracture of the apex of the right patella with rupture of the infra-patellar region.
On the 6th post-operative day an infected haematoma had been evacuated. Despite wound rinsing, open drainage and antibiotic therapy the infection failed to resolve. Sixteen days post-surgery the wound underwent extensive debridement and additional drainage of the pockets on both sides of the incision.
Treatment The wound was dressed with TenderWet, changed 12-hourly.
Assessment 1 On day 18 post-surgery, clear signs of early granulation were noted. No residual infection remained in the wound pockets.
Assessment 2 On day 48 post-surgery the wound had built up sufficient granulation to be covered by means of a split thickness graft without subsequent complications.
Conclusion Wound healing was successfully completed sooner than expected. One-year post-surgery full subjective and objective load-bearing capacity proved the functional integrity of the knee joint.
