Treatment Decision Regret in Patients Who Develop Periprosthetic Joint Infection and Require Two-Stage Revision...

The decision to proceed with total joint arthroplasty (TJA) can be complex and requires an assessment of potential risks of surgery. Patients who experience the potentially devastating complication of periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) may have a poor outcome and wish they had never elected to have surgery. No study has examined decision regret related to the choice to pursue TJA in patients who develop PJI.

All patients who were treated for PJI with a two-stage revision at a tertiary academic medical center between 2010 and 2020 were surveyed. Ninety-six patients agreed to answer 12 questions concerning their understanding of their preoperative risk of infection and their level of regret with the decision to pursue index TJA. Patient regret was calculated using the Decision Regret Scale.

Seventy-two percent of patients reported that their joint replacement and concomitant infection had a severe ongoing impact on their quality of life, although only 28% of respondents regretted their choice to undergo index TJA, and 65% would undergo TJA again. A higher Musculoskeletal Infection Society outcome stage (typically due to failed treatment) and lower understanding of joint infection were associated with a higher level of regret on the Decision Regret Scale (P < .001).

Self-reported decisional regret was present in only 1 in 4 patients who underwent arthroplasty despite experiencing a devastating complication, and almost two-thirds of patients with PJI reported they would undergo primary TJA again. Patients who were more informed about infection before TJA experienced less regret when they subsequently developed PJI.

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