Northern Michigan's News LeaderHealthy Living: Avoiding Amputation

Healthy Living: Avoiding Amputation

We're born with about 300 to 350 bones in our bodies. By the time we reach adulthood and bones fuse together, we're down to 206. And when an infection strikes, our bones can be in trouble. As Robyn Haines reports, one doctor is finding ways to heal bones that won't heal in Healthy Living.

After suffering from arthritis for years, Rick Trecartin went in for a knee procedure. He came out with MRSA, an antibiotic resistant infection. The infection was in Rick's bone -- just two-centimeters from his knee joint. If it got inside the knee - doctors might have amputated his leg. But orthopedic surgeon Amir Matityahu had a different plan.

First he cleaned out Rick's bone and placed hardware inside to keep it stable. Then - he implanted a wafer filled with antibiotics near the knee. The high dose of antibiotics spread to the surrounding area, killing the bacteria.

After six weeks of antibiotics, bone from Rick's hip was transferred to his leg to replace what had deteriorated. Now - Rick's bone has completely healed. The next step for rick is a knee replacement. He feels lucky to have that option.

The doctor says smokers and people with diabetes have a difficult time with bone healing. Sometimes - their bones never heal. In the best cases, these patients can get their knees fused. In the worst cases, they will need their leg amputated.