A Second Surgical Debridement for Acute Periprosthetic Joint Infections Should Not Be Discarded.

BACKGROUND: In acute periprosthetic joint infections (PJIs), a second surgical debridement (debridement, antibiotics, and implant retention [DAIR]) is generally not recommended after a failed first one. We identified the failure rate of a second DAIR and aimed to identify patients in whom an additional debridement might still be beneficial. METHODS: Patients with acute PJI of the hip or knee and treated with DAIR between 2006 and 2016 were retrospectively evaluated. A second DAIR was routinely performed provided that the soft tissue was intact. Failure of a second DAIR was described as (1) the need for additional surgical intervention to achieve infection control, (2) the need for antibiotic suppressive therapy due to persistent clinical and/or biochemical signs of infection, or (3) PJI related death. RESULTS: From the 455 cases treated with DAIR, 144 cases underwent a second debridement (34.6%). Thirty-seven cases failed (37/144, 25.7%). The implant needed to be removed in 23 cases (23/144, 16%). Positive cultures during the second DAIR (odds ratio 3.16, 95% confidence interval 1.29-7.74) and chronic renal insufficiency (odds ratio 13.6, 95% confidence interval 2.03-91.33) were independent predictors for failure in the multivariate analysis. No difference in failure was observed between persistent infection with the same microorganism and reinfection with a new microorganism (failure rate 31.6% vs 34.6%, P = .83). CONCLUSION: A second DAIR had a low failure rate in our cohort of patients and the implant could be retained in the majority of them. Therefore, a second DAIR should not be discarded in acute PJIs.

Obese patients have higher rates of polymicrobial and Gram-negative early periprosthetic joint infections of the hip than non-obese patients.

BACKGROUND: Obese patients are more likely to develop periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) after primary total joint arthroplasty. This study compared the clinical and microbiological characteristics of non-obese, obese and severely obese patients with early PJI, in order to ultimately optimize antibiotic prophylaxis and other prevention measures for this specific patient category. METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated patients with early PJI of the hip and knee treated with debridement, antibiotics and implant retention (DAIR) between 2006 and 2016 in three Dutch hospitals. Only patients with primary arthroplasties indicated for osteoarthritis were included. Early PJI was defined as an infection that developed within 90 days after index surgery. Obesity was defined as a BMI ≥30kg/m2 and severe obesity as a BMI ≥35kg/m2. RESULTS: A total of 237 patients were analyzed, including 64 obese patients (27.0%) and 62 severely obese patients (26.2%). Compared with non-obese patients, obese patients had higher rates of polymicrobial infections (60.3% vs 33.3%, p<0.001) with more often involvement of Enterococcus species (27.0% vs 11.7%, p = 0.003). Moreover, severely obese patients had more Gram-negative infections, especially with Proteus species (12.9% vs 2.3%, p = 0.001). These results were only found in periprosthetic hip infections, comprising Gram-negative PJIs in 34.2% of severely obese patients compared with 24.7% in obese patients and 12.7% in non-obese patients (p = 0.018). CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrate that obese patients with early periprosthetic hip infections have higher rates of polymicrobial infections with enterococci and Gram-negative rods, which stresses the importance of improving preventive strategies in this specific patient category, by adjusting antibiotic prophylaxis regimens, improving disinfection strategies and optimizing postoperative wound care.

Use of gentamicin-impregnated beads or sponges in the treatment of early acute periprosthetic joint infection: a propensity score analysis.

Objectives: Early acute periprosthetic joint infections (PJIs) treated with debridement, antibiotics and implant retention (DAIR) have failure rates ranging from 10% to 60%. We determined the efficacy of applying local gentamicin-impregnated beads and/or sponges during debridement in early PJI. Methods: Patients with early acute PJI, defined as less than 21 days of symptoms and treated with DAIR within 90 days after index surgery, were retrospectively evaluated. Early failure was defined as PJI-related death, the need for implant removal or a second DAIR or antibiotic suppressive therapy owing to persistent signs of infection, all within 60 days after initial debridement. Overall failure was defined as implant removal at any timepoint during follow-up. A 1:1 propensity score matching was performed to correct for confounding factors. Results: A total of 386 patients were included. Local gentamicin was applied in 293 patients (75.9%) and was withheld in 93 patients (24.1%). Multivariate analysis demonstrated that the use of local gentamicin was independently associated with early failure (OR = 1.97, 95% CI = 1.12-3.48). After propensity matching, early failure was 40.3% in the gentamicin group versus 26.0% in the control group (P = 0.06) and overall failure was 5.2% in the gentamicin group versus 2.6% in the control group (P = 0.40). These numbers remained when solely analysing the application of gentamicin-impregnated sponges. Conclusions: Even after propensity score matching, failure rates remained higher if local gentamicin-impregnated beads and/or sponges were administered in early acute PJI. Based on these results, their use should be discouraged.

Generalized edema associated with parvovirus B19 infection.

Generalized edema is a rare presentation of human parvovirus B19 infection. The etiology of this edema is unclear, particularly because signs of heart or renal failure are often not present. We report the case of a young adult presenting with generalized edema with serological and PCR evidence of parvovirus B19 infection, and discuss the potential mechanisms of edema based on the previous literature.

[MRSA carriership in families of MRSA patients]. / MRSA-dragerschap in gezinnen van MRSA-patiënten.

OBJECTIVE: To determine how many family members of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) patients were colonised with MRSA and how this colonisation developed over time. DESIGN: Descriptive, prospective. METHOD: Two laboratories notified the Public Health Services of newly-diagnosed MRSA patients in three provinces of the Netherlands. These persons and their family members were screened for MRSA colonisation at baseline, after 3 to 4 months and after 6 to 12 months. No advice on medical intervention was given. Relevant medical interventions by general practitioners were registered. RESULTS: Nineteen index patients and their families were included. A total of 41% of the family members (n = 44) proved MRSA positive on at least one of the three tests. At second follow-up the proportion of colonised family members had decreased slightly from 32% to 27%; by the end of the study only a third of the index patients were still MRSA positive. Colonisation of index patients was more persistent if family members were colonised as well. CONCLUSION: A large and changing number of family contacts of MRSA-positive patients were shown to be colonised over time, and sometimes in the longer term.