BRADY’S INFECTION COULD HAVE SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES

In response to recent reports and analysis regarding the infection that developed in the surgically-repaired knee of Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, we’ve gathered from our vast array of sources (i.e., Google) some additional information regarding the potential consequences of Brady’s condition. Actually, we didn’t rely on Google. That would have actually required affirmative effort on our part. Instead, we were contacted by a league insider who spoon-fed us the information. As we understand it, infections are uncommon in knee surgery, happening only 0.5 percent of the time. (This year alone, however, Tom Brady, Browns receiver Joe Jurevicius, and Colts quarterback Peyton Manning developed infections after knee operations.) The mere fact that doctors conducted a second surgery should be regarded in each case as a major cause for concern. Infections are treated initially (and ideally) with antibiotics. If antibiotics don’t do the trick, then surgery becomes necessary. In the case of an ACL replacement, the presence of an infection can lead to far greater problems. Screws are used to hold down the new ligament in place. If, as Chris Mortensen of ESPN observed on Sunday, the screws become contaminated, they must be replaced. Then there’s the question of whether the ligament was from a cadaver, or from a donor location in Brady’s body. If the infection was introduced via a cadaver ligament, the ACL will need to be removed and replaced. And so the biggest unknown for now is whether Brady ultimately will need to have a second ACL replacement surgery. Though Brady sounds optimistic that post-surgical antibiotics will do the trick, it’s likely too early to know for sure whether the new ACL will remain infection-free. If, in the end, Brady needs yet another ACL, Brady might not play in 2009. And, possibly, 2010. In this regard, consider the case of John Grant. The 2008 MVP of Major League Lacrosse, Grant underwent an ACL replacement four years ago. In August of this year, Grant developed an infection in his elbow. The infection migrated to the ACL, and doctors had to remove the ACL and the screws that were holding it in place. “When I had knee surgery in 2004, I received a cadaver’s ACL instead of a part from my own body,” Grant said. “I’m no doctor, but I was told that when the elbow infection spread, it attacked the weakest part of my body — the dead tissue in my knee.” Due to the infection, Grant will have to wait as little as four months and as long as a year to receive a new ACL. Thereafter, he’ll go through the lengthy rehab period following ACL replacement. Though Grant’s case represents an extreme outcome, the fact that Brady already has needed surgery to clean out an infection in the vicinity of the new ACL puts him on the slippery slope that could ultimately require a new ACL, if the ongoing efforts to remove the infection from his body aren’t successful.