Infected Knee Prosthesis Research Articles

Oral treatment of Staphylococcus spp. infected orthopaedic implants with fusidic acid or ofloxacin in combination with rifampicin.

Oral therapy of staphylococcal infection of orthopaedic implants with 900 mg/day rifampicin combined with either 1.5 g/day fusidic acid for 5 days followed by 1 g/day thereafter, or 600 mg/day ofloxacin was compared. Patients with an infected hip were treated for 6 months, with removal of any unstable prosthesis after 5 months' treatment and those with an infected knee prosthesis were treated for 9 months, with removal of the prosthesis after 6 months of treatment. Patients with infections of other type of bone implants were treated for 6 months with removal of the implant after 3 months of treatment, if necessary. Cure was defined as the absence of clinical, microbiological and radiological evidence of infection 12 months after completion of treatment. The treatment of 46 of the 52 included in the study was evaluated for safety and that of 42 was assessed for efficacy. Overall treatment was successful for 11 (55%) of 20 patients treated with rifampicin and fusidic acid group and for 11 (50%) of the 22 treated with rifampicin and ofloxacin. Treatment failed in four cases in each treatment group because of persistent infection. One patient given rifampicin and fusidic acid and three patients given rifampicin and ofloxacin failed treatment because of relapse. Superinfection led to failure in the remainder and was due to staphylococci in all but one case in which Acinetobacter calcoaceticus var. anitratus was isolated. There were no side effects related to study treatment. Oral treatment with rifampicin combined with fusidic acid may be a suitable alternative to the combination of rifampicin and ofloxacin for treating implant infections due to Staphylococcus spp. either when the patient is intolerant to quinolones or when the infecting organism is resistant to these drugs.

Psoriasis is a risk factor for hip-prosthesis infection.

Risk factors for hip and knee prosthesis infection have been described, but not psoriasis. Eighty five infected patients from different centers and 202 non infected patients were included in a case-control study. Fifteen of 85 infected patients (17.6%), and 2 of 202 (1%) non infected patients had psoriasis. Odds ratio for infection in patients with psoriasis is 21.4 (4.7-195.5), and 39.7 (5.3-1718.8) in patients with hip prosthesis and psoriasis. No significant difference was found in patients with knee prosthesis. These data indicate that psoriasis is a risk factor for hip prostheses infection.

The infected total knee prosthesis: two-stage exchange: bacteriological considerations

The infected total knee prosthesis: two-stage exchange: bacteriological considerations

Risk factors for septic arthritis in patients with joint disease. A prospective study.

To quantify potential risk factors for septic arthritis, in order to identify a basis for prevention. The occurrence of potential risk factors for septic arthritis in patients with joint diseases attending a rheumatic disease clinic was prospectively monitored at 3-month intervals over a period of 3 years. Potential risk factors investigated were type of joint disease, comorbidity, medication, joint prosthesis, infections, and invasive procedures. The frequencies of risk factors in patients with and those without septic arthritis were compared using multiple logistic regression analysis. There were 37 patients with and 4,870 without septic arthritis. Risk factors for developing septic arthritis were age > or = 80 years (odds ratio [OR] = 3.5, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 1.4-8.6), diabetes mellitus (OR = 3.3, 95% CI 1.1-10.1), rheumatoid arthritis (OR = 4.0, 95% CI 1.9-8.3), hip and/or knee prosthesis (OR = 15, 95% CI 4.1-54.3), joint surgery (OR = 5.1, 95% CI 2.2-11.9), and skin infection (OR = 27.2, 95% CI 7.6-97.1). These findings indicate that preventive measures against septic arthritis in patients with joint diseases should mainly be directed at those with joint prostheses and/or skin infection.

Management of infected knee and hip prostheses

The number of total hip and knee replacements that are performed is growing, resulting in an increased number of procedures undertaken to remove replacements that become infected. The treatment of infected replacements is expensive, creating a strong incentive to avoid infection. Preventive measures such as preoperative intravenous antibiotics and double-latex gloves are useful in this respect. When infection occurs in a knee or hip replacement, various procedures are used. Antibiotic suppression is used when the patient is a poor risk for surgery. Debridement of the knee and administration of intravenous antibiotics is appropriate when infection is diagnosed within 2 weeks of onset. Resection arthroplasty is reserved for large knee implants, such as hinges, in patients with limited functional capacity. Arthrodesis of the knee is undertaken in the young patient with single-joint disease, when two-stage reimplantation fails, or when there are multiple problems such as skin loss, massive bone loss, and virulent organisms. When infection cannot be controlled by any other means, amputation is indicated. For infected hip replacements, debridement of the hip with retention of the prosthesis is often successful. Two-stage reimplantation for the treatment of infected total hip prostheses is more successful than one-stage reimplantation. Arthrodesis of the hip after removal of an infected total hip prosthesis can leave the leg 2 to 3 inches short. The diagnosis and treatment of infected knee and hip replacements is reviewed in detail below.

Oral rifampin plus ofloxacin for treatment of Staphylococcus-infected orthopedic implants

We examined the effectiveness and safety of the combination of rifampin plus ofloxacin given orally for treating prosthetic orthopedic implants infected with staphylococci. The prospective cohort study was conducted in a referral public hospital with ambulatory care services between 1985 and 1991. Consecutive patients from whom Staphylococcus organisms susceptible to the study drugs were isolated from their orthopedic implants and who had no contraindication to the treatment were eligible for the study. All patients were treated orally with rifampin, 900 mg/day, plus ofloxacin, 600 mg/day. Patients with hip prosthesis infection were treated for 6 months, with removal of any unstable prostheses after 5 months of treatment; patients with knee prosthesis infection were treated for 9 months, with removal of the prosthesis after 6 months of treatment; and patients with infected bone plates were treated for 6 months, with removal of the plate after 3 months of treatment, if necessary. Monthly clinical evaluations were conducted until the completion of the treatment and follow-up or telephone interviews were conducted at 6, 12, 24, 36, 48, and 60 months thereafter. Treatment failures were documented by clinical evaluation, sampling of the infected site for culture and antibiotic activity measurement, and fistulography, if possible. Cure was defined as the absence of clinical, biological, and radiological evidence of infection 6 months after the completion of treatment, treatment failure was defined as the absence of cure, and relapse was defined as the reappearance of infection caused by the same Staphylococcus isolate that caused the original infection, regardless of the timing of this secondary infection. Among 51 patients included in the study and evaluable for safety, 4 patients had side effects and were not evaluable for treatment effectiveness; the overall success rate was 74% among 47 patients, with a success rate of 81% for the hip prosthesis group, 69% for the knee prosthesis group, and 69% for the osteosynthesis device group. Eight treatment failures were relaxed to the isolation of a resistant bacterium. The combination of rifampin administered orally plus ofloxacin is a suitable alternative to the conventional long-term intravenous therapy for treatment of orthopedic implants infected with staphylococci.

Management of infected knee and hip prostheses

Infection following total hip or total knee arthroplasty can be devastating. It can result in instability of the hip or knee, diminished function, amputation, or death. Fulminant infection is unusual. Chronic low-grade infection is more commonly seen clinically. Differentiation of pain in a total hip or total knee replacement from loosening or infection may be difficult. Aspiration of the hip or knee for three aerobic and anaerobic cultures and sensitivities is the most reliable method of diagnosing infection. In the hip joint, aspiration should be performed under radiographic control. Treatment of the infected total hip or total knee by antibiotics alone is ineffective. Debridement of the hip or knee joint with retention of the prosthesis and intravenous antibiotics is successful in 18% to 40% of cases. Resection arthroplasty of the hip or knee usually results in eradication of the infection but leaves a painful, unstable, and shortened extremity and diminished ability to ambulate. Arthrodesis of the knee usually clears the infection but imposes the disability of a stiff knee. Two-stage reimplantation of the hip or knee is the most successful means of treating the infected total hip or knee replacement. In the knee, the success rate with two-stage reimplantation is 80% to 97%. In the hip joint, the success rate of two-stage reimplantation is 83% to 87%. Recently, debridement of the hip or knee with retention of the prosthesis and the local installation of antibiotics for a prolonged period has been used in cases of acute infection of less than 3 months' duration without evidence of implant loosening.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Gastrocnemius Muscle Flap Coverage of Exposed or Infected Knee Prostheses

A retrospective analysis was performed of 12 patients who required soft-tissue coverage of an exposed or infected total knee prosthesis between 1982 and 1989. All knees had skin closure with medial gastrocnemius muscle flaps. At a mean follow-up period of 41 months, all patients who were treated for infected prostheses with removal of the implant, intravenous antibiotics, and muscle flap closure had an excellent clinical result with complete skin coverage and no infection. Five of the six patients went on to successful reimplantation. Of the patients with an exposed prosthesis, five of six had an excellent outcome with retention of the prosthesis. Thus, 11 of 12 patients (92%) who had medial gastrocnemius flap coverage of an exposed or infected knee prosthesis had an excellent outcome, with ten of 12 patients (82%) retaining their prostheses or having a successful reimplantation. No medial gastrocnemius flap failed after standard primary or revision total knee arthroplasty. Gastrocnemius muscle flaps provide excellent soft-tissue coverage of exposed or infected knee prostheses and facilitate surgical care of this difficult problem.

Exchange arthroplasty for infected knee replacements. A new two-stage method

We report a series of 17 exchange arthroplasties for infected knee prostheses, ten one-stage and seven two-stage procedures. The method proved successful in controlling infection and restoring function. In two-stage exchanges the interval between the stages was managed by using a prosthesis as a spacer, and acrylic cement beads containing the appropriate antibiotic to provide high local concentrations. Three one-stage procedures had recurrence of infection, but were successfully treated by further exchange operations. All patients had satisfactory function and there have been no serious complications. We recommend this modified two-stage technique for the management of infected knee arthroplasties.

Infected Knee Prosthesis

Studies have shown the usefulness of labeled leukocyte scintigraphy as a specific tracer to detect inflammatory-infectious conditions in orthopedic surgery. The authors submit the case of a 69-year-old woman who had a total left knee prosthesis implanted 2 months earlier. At the time of exploration, the patient complained of knee pain and local clinical signs of soft tissue infection adjacent to the surgical scar. A fistulous orifice on the front of the leg, immediately below the knee, with abundant suppuration was observed.

Infected knee prosthesis: diagnosis with In-111 leukocyte, Tc-99m sulfur colloid, and Tc-99m MDP imaging.

Forty-one possible cases of infected total knee prostheses studied with indium-111-labeled leukocyte scintigraphy were retrospectively reviewed. Twenty-four of the prostheses were studied with technetium-99m methylene diphosphonate bone scintigraphy and 19 with Tc-99m sulfur colloid marrow scintigraphy. Nine prostheses were infected, and 32 were uninfected. The accuracy of combined labeled leukocyte and sulfur colloid marrow imaging (95%) was higher than that of labeled leukocyte scintigraphy alone (78%), bone scintigraphy alone (74%), or combined labeled leukocyte and bone scintigraphy (75%). The authors conclude that combined labeled leukocyte and sulfur colloid imaging is an accurate method for diagnosis of infected knee prostheses. In this series, this technique was superior to labeled leukocyte and bone imaging, alone or in combination.

Salvage of an infected total knee prosthesis with medial and lateral gastrocnemius muscle flaps. A case report.

Salvage of an infected total knee prosthesis with medial and lateral gastrocnemius muscle flaps. A case report.

New type plasma filter will aid in prevention of fatal wound shock

Retention of a prosthesis represents an attractive surgical modality for the infected but well-fixed knee prosthesis because patients need to stay in bed after removal of all components. Some additional postoperative treatment would be needed, however, when treated only with débridement because of its low success rate.In this study, intraarticular antibiotic infusion into the infected joints after débridement, while retaining the implants, was performed for six well-fixed total knee arthroplasties (TKAs), one revision TKA, and five tumor megaprostheses with an average follow-up period of 47.5 months (range 20–82 months). TKA patients with a polyethylene insert or those with all exchangeable components and all polyethylene parts in tumor megaprostheses underwent device removal and thorough débridement of the soft tissues. Subsequently, new polyethylene inserts were implanted in the TKA patients. The removed metallic prostheses were resterilized and reimplanted, and new polyethylene inserts were implanted in the tumor megaprostheses patients. The wound was closed in layers after insertion of a catheter percutaneously. The patients received organism-specific intraarticular antibiotics through the catheter twice a day until the infection disappeared clinically.There was no recurrence of infection in the TKA and revision TKA patients. Four of five knees treated with tumor megaprostheses exhibited recurrence of the infection. Infection was finally healed, however, in all cases by the same treatment procedure.Although some patients experienced recurrence of infection, successful implant salvage was achieved in all cases with the same treatment procedure. Patients do not need to stay in bed during this treatment. Therefore, this method should be considered as one of the treatment options for infected knee prostheses.