Treatment Approaches for Managing Periprosthetic Joint Infection Following Total Knee Arthroplasty: A...

Periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) following total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is becoming an increasing burden on health care systems worldwide. We sought to examine approaches to managing PJI following TKA in Ontario, Canada, from 2012 to 2019.

We identified patients who underwent TKA for osteoarthritis from 2012 to 2019 using administrative databases in Ontario, Canada, and those who underwent surgery for PJI up to 5 years following initial TKA. We grouped patients by type of revision: tibial insert exchange (TIE), single-stage revision TKA (ssrTKA), and two-stage revision (tsrTKA), and identified repeat revisions within 2 years. We used Chi-square and Fisher exact tests to examine unadjusted differences in patient characteristics and outcomes, and multivariable logistic regression to identify predictors of revision and repeat revision.

From 2012 to 2019, 98,384 patients received primary TKA in Ontario, Canada, 660 (0.7%) of whom underwent revision for PJI. Revisions were primarily tsrTKA (n = 269, 40.8%), followed by TIE (n = 255, 38.6%), and ssrTKA (n = 136, 20.6%). A total of 131 patients (19.8%) underwent repeat revision within 2 years. Repeat revisions were higher following ssrTKA (n = 38, 27.9%) versus TIE (n = 49, 19.2%) and tsrTKA (n = 44, 16.4%). Both TIE (odds ratio [OR] 1.77; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.12 to 2.81) and ssrTKA (OR 2.42; 95% CI 1.42 to 4.12) were associated with a higher risk of all-cause repeat revision, and ssrTKA was associated with a higher rate of repeat revision for persistent infection (OR 1.93; 95% CI 1.16 to 3.21).

Patients who undergo surgical treatment for PJI following TKA in Ontario, Canada show a 19.8% risk of repeat revision, typically for persistent infection. TIE and ssrTKA were associated with a higher risk of repeat revision than tsRTKA, and ssrTKA was associated with worse rates of infection eradication than tsrTKA.