The clinical benefit of chronic suppression with oral antibiotics as a salvage treatment for periprosthetic joint infection is unclear. The purpose of this study was to compare infection-free prosthetic survival rates between patients who received chronic oral antibiotics and those who did not following irrigation and debridement with polyethylene exchange or two-stage revision for periprosthetic joint infection. We reviewed the records on all irrigation and debridement procedures with polyethylene exchange and two-stage revisions performed at our institution from 1996 to 2010 for hip or knee periprosthetic joint infection. Of 625 patients treated with a total of 655 eligible revisions, ninety-two received chronic oral antibiotics for a minimum of six months and were eligible for inclusion in our study. These patients were compared with a matched cohort (ratio of 1:3) who did not receive chronic oral antibiotics. The five-year infection-free prosthetic survival rate was 68.5% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 59.2% to 79.3%) for the antibiotic-suppression group and 41.1% (95% CI = 34.9% to 48.5%) for the non-suppression group (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.63, p = 0.008). Stratification by the type of surgery and the infecting organism showed a higher five-year survival rate for the patients in the suppression group who underwent irrigation and debridement with polyethylene exchange (64.7%) compared with those in the non-suppression group who underwent irrigation and debridement with polyethylene exchange (30.4%, p < 0.0001) and a higher five-year survival rate for the patients in the suppression group who had a Staphylococcus aureus infection (57.4%) compared with those in the non-suppression group who had a Staphylococcus aureus infection (40.1%, p = 0.047). Chronic suppression with oral antibiotics increased the infection-free prosthetic survival rate following surgical treatment for periprosthetic joint infection. Patients who underwent irrigation and debridement with polyethylene exchange and those who had a Staphylococcus aureus infection had the greatest benefit. Therapeutic Level III. See the Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

Patients undergoing total hip and knee arthroplasty are at high risk for venous thromboembolism (VTE) with an incidence of approximately 0.6–1.5%. Given the high volume of these operations, with approximately one million performed annually in the U.S., the rate of VTE represents a large absolute number of patients. The rate of VTE after total hip arthroplasty has been stable over the past decade, although there has been a slight reduction in the rate of deep venous thrombosis (DVT), but not pulmonary embolism (PE), after total knee arthroplasty. Over this time, there has been significant research into the optimal choice of pharmacologic VTE prophylaxis for individual patients, with the objective to reduce the rate of VTE while minimizing adverse side effects such as bleeding. Recently, aspirin has emerged as a promising prophylactic agent for patients undergoing arthroplasty due to its similar efficacy and good safety profile compared to other pharmacologic agents. However, there is no evidence to date that clearly demonstrates the superiority of any given prophylactic agent. Therefore, this review discusses (1) the current prevalence and trends in VTE after total hip and knee arthroplasty and (2) provides an update on pharmacologic VTE prophylaxis in regard to aspirin usage.

Periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) remains a devastating complication after total joint arthroplasty. Bacteria involved in these infections are notorious for adhering to foreign implanted surfaces and generating a biofilm matrix. These biofilms protect the bacteria from antibiotic treatment and the immune system making eradication difficult. Current treatment strategies including debridement, antibiotics, and implant retention, and one‐ and two‐stage revisions still present a relatively high overall failure rate. One of the main shortcomings that has been associated with this high failure rate is the lack of a robust approach to treating bacterial biofilm. Therefore, in this review, we will highlight new strategies that have the potential to combat PJI by targeting biofilm integrity, therefore giving antibiotics and the immune system access to the internal network of the biofilm structure. This combination antibiofilm/antibiotic therapy may be a new strategy for PJI treatment while promoting implant retention.

Diagnosing periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) requires a combination of clinical and laboratory parameters, which may be expensive and difficult to interpret. Synovial fluid cytokines have been shown to accurately differentiate septic from aseptic failed total knee (TKA) and hip (THA) arthroplasties. However, after first-stage explantation, there is still no reliable test to rule out PJI before a second-stage reimplantation procedure. (1) Which synovial fluid cytokines have the highest diagnostic accuracy for PJI? (2) Which cytokine shows the greatest decrease associated with the resolution of infection in the same patient between explantation and subsequent reimplantation of an infected arthroplasty? (3) What is the accuracy of synovial fluid cytokines and the Musculoskeletal Infection Society (MSIS) criteria to rule out PJI after first-stage explantation? (4) What are the most studied synovial fluid cytokines for diagnosing PJI as reported in the literature and what are their cumulative diagnostic accuracy? Between May 2013 and March 2014, 104 patients with painful THA and TKA evaluated for possible PJI were included in our study. Of these, 90 (87%) had cytokine levels measured from synovial fluid samples collected as part of this prospective study (n = 33 hips, n = 57 knees). A second group of 35 patients (n = 36 samples) who presented during the same time period with an antibiotic spacer also had synovial cytokines measured before second-stage reimplantation. For the first group of 90 patients, the MSIS definition classified each joint at the time of surgery as infected (n = 31) or not infected (n = 59) and was used as the standard to test the accuracy in diagnosing PJI. Of the 35 patients with synovial marker data before second-stage surgery, 15 patients had cytokine measurements both at explantation and reimplantation and were used to quantify the change between stages. The reimplantation group had a minimum 1-year followup (with four [11%] patients lost to followup) and was classified into successful or failed treatment based on Delphi-based consensus data and was used to test the accuracy in detecting infection resolution at reimplantation. Interleukin (IL)-1β and interferon-γ demonstrated the highest diagnostic utility (area under the curve 0.92, 0.91, respectively); IL-1β and IL-6 had the highest sensitivities (0.90 [95% confidence interval {CI}, 0.74–0.98] and 0.81 [0.63–0.93]). As a measure of infection resolution, IL-1β had the greatest decrease (12.4-fold; level at explantation: 232.4 [range, 23.1–1545.7]; level at reimplantation: 18.8 (range 1.2–298.9); mean difference: 325.5 [95% CI, 65.0–596.0]; p = 0.0001), and IL-6 had a nearly similar decrease (11.2-fold; level at explantation: 228.1 [range, 10,158.4–182,725.0]; level at reimplantation: 2518.2 [range, 10.4–41,319.3]; mean difference: 33,176.0 [95% CI, 7543.6–58,808.3]; p < 0.0001). Cytokines and MSIS criteria had low sensitivity to rule out infection in a joint treated for PJI. IL-6 and IL-1β demonstrated high sensitivities to diagnose PJI and showed the greatest decrease between first and second stages, which may potentially be used to monitor treatment response to PJI. However, cytokines and MSIS criteria had low sensitivity to rule out infection before reimplantation. Level III, diagnostic study.

Prosthetic joint infection (PJI) is a serious complication after total joint arthroplasty (TJA). Chlorhexidine is a widely used antiseptic because of its rapid and persistent action. It is well tolerated and available in different formulations at various concentrations. Chlorhexidine can be used for pre-operative skin cleansing, surgical site preparation, hand antisepsis of the surgical team and intra-articular irrigation of infected joints. The optimal intra-articular concentration of chlorhexidine gluconate in irrigation solution is 2%, to provide a persistent decrease in biofilm formation, though cytotoxicity might be an issue. Although chlorhexidine is relatively cheap, routine use of chlorhexidine without evidence of clear benefits can lead to unnecessary costs, adverse effects and even emergence of resistance. This review focuses on the current applications of various chlorhexidine formulations in TJA. As the treatment of PJI is challenging and expensive, effective preparations of chlorhexidine could help in the prevention and control of PJI.

Background: Bilateral total knee arthroplasty (TKA) has been shown to increase both mortality and complications, but has potential benefits including decreased length of stay, rehabilitation time, and costs. The purpose of this study was to use data from a nationally representative database to identify if there is a population of patients undergoing TKA in whom bilateral TKA can be safely performed, by comparing 30-day mortality and complication rates with those of patients undergoing unilateral TKA. Methods: The National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) was queried to compare 30-day rates of mortality and any complication between bilateral TKA and unilateral TKA. A total of 8,291 patients who underwent bilateral TKA were matched 1:1 with a unilateral TKA control cohort (n = 315,219) by morbidity probability, which is a cumulative variable encompassing demographic characteristics, comorbidities, and laboratory values. Patients were divided into quartiles based on morbidity probability. Binary logistic regression comparing bilateral TKA and unilateral TKA for the same quartiles was performed to establish if any population could safely have bilateral TKA performed. Results: Bilateral TKA had an increased risk for all complications (p < 0.001) and major complications (p < 0.001) when compared with unilateral TKA regardless of health status. For all complications, there was a greater than threefold increase for the first quartile (healthiest patients) (p < 0.001), a greater than fourfold increase for the second and third quartiles (p < 0.001), and a greater than threefold increase for the fourth quartile (least healthy patients) (p < 0.001). For major complications, there was a greater than twofold increase for the first quartile (p = 0.001) and the second quartile (p < 0.001), an almost threefold increase for the third quartile (p < 0.001), and a 57% increase for the fourth quartile (p = 0.005). Conclusions: This study will assist shared decision-making between orthopaedic surgeons and patients by suggesting that bilateral TKA may not be as safe an option for even healthy individuals compared with unilateral TKA. Level of Evidence: Prognostic Level III. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.