Risk of Periprosthetic Joint Infection in Patients With Total Knee Arthroplasty Undergoing Colonoscopy: A Nationwide Propensity Score Matched Study

The post-colonoscopy periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) risk in patients with total prosthetic knee joints has limited research. The present study investigated the PJI risk and determined the risk factors for post-colonoscopy PJI in total knee arthroplasty (TKA) recipients. The hypothesis was that colonoscopy is associated with an increased PJI risk in patients with total prosthetic knee joints. This study can potentially help guide the decision making for prophylactic antibiotic use for colonoscopy.

This nationwide matched cohort study used claims data from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service database and enrolled patients who underwent unilateral TKA between 2008 and 2016. The history of diagnostic colonoscopy was investigated at least 1 year postoperatively. The propensity score was matched between colonoscopy and non-colonoscopy cohorts, and the post-colonoscopy PJI risk was compared. The PJI risk following invasive colonoscopic procedures, including biopsy, polypectomy, and mucosal or submucosal resection, was investigated, and the risk factors for post-colonoscopy PJI were determined.

In total, 45,612 and 211,841 patients were matched in the colonoscopy and control cohorts, respectively. The colonoscopy cohort had greater 9-month and 1-year PJI risks from the index colonoscopy date than the matched controls (9 months: hazard ratio [HR] 1.836, P = .006; 1 year: HR 1.822, P = .031). Invasive colonoscopic procedures did not increase the PJI risk at any time point post-colonoscopy. The only significant risk factor for PJI was post-traumatic arthritis (adjusted HR 4.034, P = .023).

Colonoscopy was associated with an increased PJI risk in TKA recipients, regardless of concomitant invasive colonoscopic procedures.

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