Clinical and microbiological characteristics of periprosthetic hip and knee infections

Objective.

To characterize periprosthetic joint infection in patients undergoing a total hip and knee joint replacement.

Materials and Methods.

A total of 77 patients with periprosthetic infection following hip and knee joint replacement hospitalized in Grodno City Clinical Hospital were studied over the period of 2014-2018. Wound discharge, tissue samples, and fistula’s wall swab were used for microbiological tests. The analysis of surgical treatment of patients with deep periprosthetic knee and hip joint infection has been performed.

Results.

Periprosthetic infection after hip joint arthroplasty was observed in 32 (41.6%) patients, and after total knee joint arthroplasty in 45 (58.4%) patients. Surgical treatment was performed in 18 (56.3%) and 32 (71.1%) patients with periprosthetic infection following total knee and hip joint replacement, respectively. A total of 10 (31.2%) of 32 cultures from patients with periprosthetic infection after total hip joint replacement and 8 (17.8%) of 45 cultures from patients with periprosthetic infection after total knee joint replacement were positive. Overall, Staphylococcus aureus was detected in 9 (50%) of 18 positive cultures. Gram-negative aerobic bacteria (Acinetobacter baumannii, Klebsiella pneumoniae Pseudomonas aeruginosa) were detected in ⁴⁄₁₀ and ⁵⁄₈ of positive cultures from patients with periprosthetic infection of hip and knee joints, respectively.

Conclusions.

The most common pathogens causing periprosthetic infection of hip and knee joints were S. aureus (50%) and Gram-negative bacteria. The surgical treatment was performed in 71.4% of patients with periprosthetic joint infection.