Treatment of acute infection around prosthesis with vacuum sealing drainage and sensitive antibiotics

Abstract

To investigate the therapeutic effects of vacuum sealing drainage (VSD) combined with antibiotics in treating acute periprosthetic joint infection (PJI). From March 2012 to December 2018, there were 11 patients with acute PJI underwent debridement, VSD, antibiotics and retention of implant, including 7 males and 4 females, with an average age of 72.5 years old (ranged, 58 to 88 years old). There were 8 hips and 3 knees. Three patients had sinus tract. There were 2 patients with negative culture result and 9 patients with positive culture result, including 5 cases of methicillin sensitive staphylococcus aureus, 2 cases of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), 2 cases of staphylococcus epidermidis. The mean follow up duration was 28 months (ranged from 8 to 52 months). One case of infection around hip prosthesis failed to be debrided. The time of debridement and replacement of the calcar joint was 84 days. Debridement was successful in 10 cases. At the latest follow up, Harris score of patients with successful debridement of hip periprosthetic infection ranged from 74 to 93, with an average score of 84.1;Knee Society scores of patients with periprosthetic infection were 84, 84, 89. For acute infection around the prosthesis within 1 month after knee replacement and 6 weeks after hip replacement, and for bleeding around the prosthesis with acute infection caused by anticoagulant drugs, satisfactory results can be obtained by debridement, VSD and sensitive antibiotics.