Brady had 2d surgery

Procedure needed for knee infection

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady underwent a second procedure on his injured left knee Wednesday to clear out an infection, according to a source close to Brady on the West Coast.

Brady had surgery Oct. 6 at the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic in Los Angeles. Doctors said the procedure went well, but Brady began to feel ill this week because of the infection.

While he has not seen Brady's injury, Dr. Nicholas DiNubile - a knee specialist and spokesman for the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons - said an infection must be aggressively treated and monitored. He noted there are different types of infections, with different degrees of severity, and some are more easily managed than others.

"This can happen to anyone having a surgery, but it's a relatively rare occurrence after knee procedures," DiNubile said. "The earlier you recognize and treat it - that's surgery and antibiotics - the less likely you're going to have problems down the line. The best-case scenario is that they got it early, and if everything goes right, he would be back at the same time as was expected."

Brady's initial surgery came 29 days after he was injured in the Patriots' season opener against the Kansas City Chiefs on a hit by safety Bernard Pollard. Multiple sources told the Globe Brady tore the anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments in his knee.

In cases similar to Brady's, doctors often wait for the MCL to heal before reconstructing the ACL, usually a time frame of about 4-6 weeks. So Brady's initial surgery was closer to the early side.