Administration of Aspirin as a Prophylaxis Agent Against Venous Thromboembolism Results in Lower Incidence of Periprosthetic Joint Infection

The efficacy and safety of aspirin (ASA) for prevention of venous thromboembolism (VTE) following total joint arthroplasty (TJA) have been demonstrated. Our hypothesis was that postoperative ASA compared to warfarin lowers the incidence of periprosthetic joint infection (PJI). Between January 2006 and December 2012, 1456 patients received ASA and 1700 patients received warfarin following primary TJA as standard VTE prophylaxis. Logistic regression was utilized to identify independent risk factors of PJI. Incidence of PJI was significantly lower at 0.4% in patients receiving ASA vs. 1.5% in patients receiving warfarin (P < 0.001). Warfarin and elevated BMI were independent risk factors for PJI following TJA (P < 0.05). Our research suggests that the use of ASA compared to warfarin for VTE prophylaxis reduces the risk of PJI following TJA.