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Clostridium difficile Infection of a Total Hip Arthroplasty: Case Report and Review of the Literature
Justin Loloi1, Oliver Mrowczynski1, Benjamin Claxton1
1Penn State College of Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, Pennsylvania.
Case:
We describe the case of an 85-year-old woman who presented with worsening right hip pain after a conversion hip replacement. Subsequent imaging demonstrated a gas-containing collection in the lateral thigh. She was taken to the operating room for irrigation and debridement, where intraoperative cultures returned positive for Clostridium difficile. Surgical management was followed by a prolonged course of antibiotics.
Conclusions:
Clostridium difficile as the etiology of infection in a conversion arthroplasty is exceedingly rare. Orthopaedic surgeons and infectious disease specialists should consider C. diff as a potential cause of infection in conversion hip arthroplasty because management options will need to be tailored.
