Characteristics of prosthetic joint infections leading to bacteremia: a case-control study

The possible systemic infectious consequences of prosthetic joint infections (PJI) are poorly documented in the literature. We assessed the frequency of postoperative prosthetic hip and knee infections leading to bacteremia and investigated their associated factors among patients treated between 2005 and 2009. Among 633 patients with PJI, 62 (9.8%) also had positive blood cultures (95% confidence interval (CI) 7.5-12.1). After complete investigations, the prosthesis was considered as the direct cause of bacteremia in 14 cases (2.2%; 95% CI 1.1-3.4). In the conditional logistic regression analysis, PJI leading to bacteremia was more frequently observed in cases of relapses of a prior PJI (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 7.3, p = 0.07) and in patients with a C-reactive protein value upon admission ≥ 180 mg/l (aOR 4.5, p = 0.04). None of the 8 bacteremic patients treated with surgical debridement and prosthetic retention were cured from joint infection. These preliminary results raise concerns about the fact that debridement with prosthetic retention may not be an appropriate option in the context of PJI leading to bacteremia, contrary to PJI resulting from hematogenous seeding.