Abstract
Arthroplasty is a successfulsurgical procedure which provides returning daily activities by relieving pain, correcting deformity, and regaining the loss of ROM which is caused by many diseases such as degenerative arthritis when conservative and other surgical techniques fail to achieve. Successful outcomes depend on many variables at arthroplasty. Proper indication, careful selection of patient, adequate surgical technique and postoperative rehabilitation plays a major role.
Despite successful outcomes achieved at arthroplasty, undesired complications can be frustrating for the patient and the surgeon. These complications can be minimized by careful preoperative planning, meticulous surgical procedure and rigorius postoperative care.
Infection is the most frequent and most effective complication on outcomes after arthroplasty. Because of that, risk factors for infection must be researched carefully and minimized preoperatively. Antibiotic prophylaxis is routinely suggested before the surgery. Using routine irrigation as well as the standard surgical technique is effective for decreasing postoperative infection rates. Antibiotic impregenated cement is used especially at revision arthroplasties and should be used at primary surgery at high risk groups.
In this study we evaluated 19 patients which admitted to Gulhane Military Academy of Medicine, Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology betwen 2007 and 2012. 5 patients had total hip arthroplasty (26.32%), 11 patients had total knee arthroplasty (57.89%) and 3 patients had hip hemiarthroplasty after femoral neck fractures. 14 of the patiens were female (73.68%) and 5 were (26,32%). Mean age was 69.74 (53–83). Primary surgery was held at our institution at 14 of the patients and 5 patients were referred from other instutitions because of their complaints.6 of the knees were right-sided and 5 of them was left-sided. 3 of the totap hips were left-sided and 2 of them was right-sided. 1 of the hip hemiarthroplasties were left-sided and 2 of them was right-sided. 42.11%of the patients were treated medically and 47.37%were treated with two staged surgery. 42.11%of the surgically treated group were healed completely and 5.26%of the patients passed away due to other comorbidities. Wound debridement was applied 10.53%of the patients which were admitted at early phase and resection arthroplasty was applied 5.26%of these patients because of the lack of response to medical and surgical debridement.
With these results, patients with infected prosthesis can present with many different symptoms and infection risk must always be considered. It must be remembered that the onset time of infection is very important during diagnosis and treatment. Follow ups and treatment protocols must be standardized by clinics as algorithms. During the treatment the surgeon must be in close contact with infectious diseases and microbiology departments. Especially by new developing techniques during the recent years, spesific agents of the infection can be determined and spesific antibiotics can be used for the treatment.
