Diphtheroid infection of a total knee arthroplasty following femoral percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty.

A 61-year-old male had a successful left total knee arthroplasty but one year later developed a deep diphtheroides infection of the joint following femoral percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty without antimicrobial prophylaxis. Diphtheroides is an uncommon organism to infect a joint replacement and it has not been reported in the medical literature previously to our knowledge. There is little evidence to support the routine use of prophylactic antibiotics to cover percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty in the general population; however, we would encourage its use, and the use of an alternative entry site (such as the radial artery) if a patient has a joint replacement in situ.