The Economic Impact of Periprosthetic Infections Following Total Knee Arthroplasty at a Specialized Tertiary-Care Center

The purpose of this study was to measure the impact of periprosthetic joint infections (PJIs) on the length of hospitalization, readmissions, and the associated costs. Between 2007 and 2011, our prospectively collected infection database was reviewed to identify PJIs that occurred following primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA), which required a two-stage revision. We identified 21 consecutive patients and matched them to 21 non-infected patients who underwent uncomplicated primary TKA. The patients who had PJIs had significantly longer hospitalizations (5.3 vs. 3.0 days), more readmissions (3.6 vs. 0.1), and more clinic visits (6.5 vs. 1.3) when compared to the matched group, respectively. The mean annual cost was significantly higher in the infected cohort ($116,383; range, $44,416 to $269,914) when compared to the matched group ($28,249; range, $20,454 to $47,957). Periprosthetic infections following TKA represent a tremendous economic burden for tertiary-care centers and to patients.