Do You Need Antibiotics to Protect Your Joint Replacement?

Infection is among the leading reasons why total joint replacements fail. Bacteria that seed at the implanted joint may cause pain and loosening of the prosthesis, and the results can be devastating. "To get an infection in your total joint replacement is a life-changing event," says Peter Brooks, MD, with Cleveland Clinics Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, "and you might need multiple operations to repair it."