Efficacy of debridement in hematogenous and early post-surgical prosthetic joint infections

To review patients with a hematogenous and early post-surgical prosthetic joint infection (PJI) due to S. aureus treated with debridement and retention of the implant and to compare their clinical characteristics and outcome.

From January 2000 all patients with a prosthetic joint infection treated in a single-center were prospectively registered and followed-up. All potentially variables associated with outcome were recorded. For the present study, cases with a hematogenous or early post-surgical PJI due to S. aureus treated with debridement and at least 2 years of follow-up were reviewed. Cox regression model to identify factors associated with outcome were applied.

12 hematogenous and 53 early post-surgical PJI due to S. aureus were included. Number of patients presenting with fever, leucocyte count, C-reactive protein concentration, and the number of bacteremic patients were significantly higher in hematogenous infections while the number of polymicrobial infections was lower in hematogenous than in early post-surgical infections. The global failure rate in hematogenous and early post-surgical PJI was 58.7% and 24.5%, respectively (p=0.02). The Cox regression model identified hematogenous infections (OR: 2.57, CI95%: 1.02-6.51, p=0.04) and the need of a second debridement (OR: 4.61, CI95%: 1.86-11.4, p=0.001) as independent predictors of failure.

Hematogenous infections were monomicrobial and had more severe symptoms and signs of infection than early post-surgical PJI. Hematogenous PJI due to S. aureus, using debridement with implant retention, had a worse outcome than early post-surgical infections.