Repeated arthrocentesis in a cirrhotic patient: A rare case of Klebsiella pneumoniae septic arthritis of the knee

Klebsiella pneumoniae septic arthritis in elderly patients with liver cirrhosis is rare. We describe a 65-year-old cirrhotic male who suffered initially from bronchopneumonia. However, a painful disability of the left knee developed three days later. K. pneumoniae was immediately cultured from the blood and then isolated from the joint fluid two weeks later by repeated arthrocentesis. Arthroscopic irrigation with closed tube drainage was arranged immediately with good recovery. These findings highlight the importance of repeated synovial fluid analyses in cirrhotic patients with septicemia and persistent swollen, painful joints for early diagnosis of septic arthritis. Here, we report a rare case of K. pneumoniae septic arthritis of the knee in a cirrhotic patient.