Campylobacter fetus prosthetic hip joint infection: successful management with device retention and review

Abstract

Infection is one of the most serious complications of joint prostheses and occurs in <2% of patients over the lifetime of the joint. Untreated infection at best leads to failure of the prosthesis and at worst to sepsis and death. The goal of treatment is to achieve a painless functional joint with the least possible morbidity. In many cases, this means removal of the prosthesis but that option may not always be the most appropriate for the individual patient. Few cases of campylobacter prosthetic joint infection have been reported so there is little specific information to consider in making management decisions. We present a case of prosthetic joint infection with Campylobacter fetus and review the international literature.