Factors affecting the course and prognosis of implant-associated infection caused by <i>Klebsiella</i> spp.

Abstract

Background. The outcome of complex treatment of implant-associated infection (IAI) depends on various factors, but one of the most important is the etiology of the inflammatory process. Treatment of orthopedic infection caused by Gram-negative microorganisms in general and representatives of the family Enterobacteriaceae in particular causes many difficulties, one of which is the rapid growth of antibiotic resistance. Aim of the study — to evaluate the factors affecting the course and prognosis of implant-associated infection caused by Klebsiella spp. Methods. We performed a retrospective analysis of case histories of 85 patients who underwent treatment of IAI caused by Klebsiella spp. in the clinical departments of the center from January 1, 2017 to December 31, 2021. According to the results of the telephone survey, the patients were divided into 2 main groups depending on the outcome of the 2-year follow-up period determined in accordance with the Delphi criteria. Results. It was found that the prognosis was significantly worsened by the number of sanitizing surgical interventions in the anamnesis (p = 0.022), the need for sanitizing intervention in the early postoperative period (p0.001) and the presence of Klebsiella spp. growth in postoperative culture tests (p = 0.002), hypoalbuminemia on 7-14 days after the surgery (p = 0.008). The administration of trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole for the outpatient treament stage significantly improved the outcome (p = 0.038), which is most likely due to a high proportion of polymicrobial associations — 69.5%. Conclusions. There is a statistically significant direct relationship between the probability of an unfavorable treatment outcome of patients with IAI caused by Klebsiella spp. and the number of sanitizing surgical interventions in the anamnesis, low serum albumin (g/l) on 7-14 days after the operation, revision intervention in the early postoperative period, positive growth of Klebsiella spp. in postoperative culture tests. The probability of a favorable outcome was increased by the prescription of trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole for oral administration at the outpatient stage.