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BackgroundStaphylococcal species account for more than 50% of periprosthetic joint infections (PJI) and antimicrobial therapy with rifampin-based combination regimens has been shown effective. The present study evaluates the safety and efficacy of clindamycin in combination with rifampin for the management of staphylococcal PJI.MethodsIn this retrospective cohort study, patients were included who received clindamycin-rifampin combination therapy to treat a periprosthetic hip or knee infection by Staphylococcus aureus or coagulase-negative staphylococci. Patients were treated according to a standardized treatment algorithm and followed for a median of 54 months.Of the 36 patients with periprosthetic staphylococcal infections, 31 had an infection of the hip, and five had an infection of the knee. Eighteen patients underwent debridement and retention of the implant (DAIR) for an early infection, the other 18 patients underwent revision of loose components in presumed aseptic loosening with unexpected positive cultures.ResultsIn this study, we report a success rate of 86%, with five recurrent/persistent PJI in 36 treated patients. Cure rate was 78% (14/18) in the DAIR patients and 94% (17/18) in the revision group. Five patients (14%) discontinued clindamycin-rifampin due to side effects. Of the 31 patients completing the clindamycin-rifampin regimen 29 patients (94%) were cured.ConclusionCombined therapy with clindamycin and rifampin is a safe, well tolerated and effective regimen for the treatment of staphylococcal periprosthetic infection.

This study shows an alarmingly high complication rate in patients receiving LMWH bridging during elective TKA or THA surgery. All complications seem to be caused by, or secondary to bleeding. Patients need to be consulted about the risk of bleeding complications, and the risk of bleeding needs to be balanced over the risk of TE complications.

Abstract. Introduction: In Specific cases, curative treatment of a prosthetic joint infection (PJI) cannot be accomplished due to the increased risk of major complications after prosthetic joint revision surgery. In these patients, antibiotic suppressive therapy (AST) is often used to control the infection.Aim: To describe the clinical outcome of patients with a PJI after hip replacement treated with AST.Methods: Patients in which AST for PJI was started between 2006 and 2013, were retrospectively included. Follow-up was continued until October 2018. AST has been defined as treatment with oral antibiotic therapy intended to suppress PJI. Treatment was considered successful in patients without reoperation for PJI or death related to PJI during follow-up.Results: Twenty-three patients were included. The most commonly used antibiotics were doxycycline (n=14) and cotrimoxazole (n=6). The mean duration of AST was 38 months (1-151 months). AST was considered successful in 13 patients (56.5%) after a median follow-up of 33 months. AST was least successful in PJI caused by S. aureus with 80% failures versus 33% in PJI caused by other microorganisms and in patients who had an antibiotic-free period before the start of AST with 83% failures. Two patients ended AST due to side effects.Conclusion: AST can be an alternative treatment in selected patients with a PJI after hip replacement. However, there is a persisting and considerable amount of failures, particularly in PJI caused by S. aureus and in patient with an antibiotic-free period before the start of AST.

Background and purpose — Periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) remains a devastating complication following total knee or total hip arthroplasty (TKA/THA). Nowadays, many studies focus on preventive strategies regarding PJI; however, the potential role of anesthesia in the development of PJI remains unclear.Patients and methods — All consecutive patients undergoing elective primary unilateral TKA or THA from January 2014 through December 2017 were included. Exclusion criteria included femoral fractures as the indication for surgery and previously performed osteosynthesis or hardware removal on the affected joint. Age, sex, BMI, ASA classification, type of arthroplasty surgery, type of anesthesia, duration of surgery, smoking status, and intraoperative hypothermia were recorded. Propensity score-matched univariable logistic regression analysis was used to control for allocation bias.Results — 3,909 procedures consisting of 54% THAs and 46% TKAs were available for analysis. 42% arthroplasties were performed under general anesthesia and 58% under spinal anesthesia. Early PJIs were observed in 1.7% of the general anesthesia group and in 0.8% in the spinal anesthesia group. The multivariable logistic regression model demonstrated an odds ratio for PJI of 2.0 (95% CI 1.0–3.7) after general anesthesia relative to the propensity score-matched patients who received spinal anesthesia.Interpretation — These results suggest a potential association between general anesthesia and early PJI. Future research using large-scale data is required to further elucidate this clinically relevant association.