Effective Treatment of Single-Stage Revision Using Intra-Articular Antibiotic Infusion for Polymicrobial Periprosthetic Joint Infection

The treatment of polymicrobial periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) confronted distinct challenges. No reports have assessed the efficacy of local antibiotic delivery combined with 1-stage exchange in polymicrobial PJI.

Between January 2013 and December 2018, we retrospectively analyzed the data of 126 patients, including 19 polymicrobial PJIs and 107 monomicrobial PJIs, who underwent single-stage revision using intra-articular antibiotic infusion. The risk factors, microbiology, infection control rate, and clinical outcomes were compared between the 2 groups.

Higher body mass index, presence of a sinus tract, and prior revisions were the risk factors for polymicrobial PJI. Isolation of Staphylococcus epidermidis, Streptococcus, Enterococcus, and Gram-negative pathogens was highly associated with polymicrobial PJI. Of the 19 polymicrobial PJIs, only 2 patients occurred infection recurrence, which is similar with the result of 6 of 107 patients in the monomicrobial PJI (P = .225). The Harris Hip Score of the polymicrobial group showed no difference from that of the monomicrobial group (78 vs 80; P = .181). Nevertheless, the polymicrobial group exhibited inferior Hospital for Special Surgery knee score relative to the monomicrobial group (77 vs 79; P = .017).

With rational and targeted use of antibiotics, single-stage revision can effectively control polymicrobial infections, and achieve favorable outcomes similar to that in monomicrobial patients. However, this regimen is still needed to be further confirmed, especially in the infections with different microbial species simultaneously. Additionally, obese patients with a sinus tract and those who had prior revisions had a greater risk of polymicrobial PJI.