Aims. This study aimed to evaluate the BioFire Joint Infection (JI) Panel in cases of hip and knee periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) where conventional microbiology is unclear, and to assess its role as a complementary intraoperative diagnostic tool. Methods. Five groups representing common microbiological scenarios in hip and knee revision arthroplasty were selected from our arthroplasty registry, prospectively maintained PJI databases, and biobank: 1) unexpected-negative cultures (UNCs), 2) unexpected-positive cultures (UPCs), 3) single-positive intraoperative cultures (SPCs), and 4) clearly septic and 5) aseptic cases. In total, 268 archived synovial fluid samples from 195 patients who underwent acute/chronic revision total hip or knee arthroplasty were included. Cases were classified according to the International Consensus Meeting 2018 criteria. JI panel evaluation of synovial fluid was performed, and the results were compared with cultures. Results. The JI panel detected microorganisms in 7/48 (14.5%) and 15/67 (22.4%) cases related to UNCs and SPCs, respectively, but not in cases of UPCs. The correlation between JI panel detection and infection classification criteria for early/late acute and chronic PJI was 46.6%, 73%, and 40%, respectively. Overall, the JI panel identified 12.6% additional microorganisms and three new species. The JI panel pathogen identification showed a sensitivity and specificity of 41.4% (95% confidence interval (CI) 33.7 to 49.5) and 91.1% (95% CI 84.7 to 94.9), respectively. In total, 19/195 (9.7%) could have been managed differently and more accurately upon JI panel evaluation. Conclusion. Despite its microbial limitation, JI panel demonstrated clinical usefulness by complementing the traditional methods based on multiple cultures, particularly in PJI with unclear microbiological results. Cite this article: Bone Joint Res 2024;13(7):353–361

Aims. The aim of this investigation was to compare risk of infection in both cemented and uncemented hemiarthroplasty (HA) as well as in total hip arthroplasty (THA) following femoral neck fracture. Methods. Data collection was performed using the German Arthroplasty Registry (EPRD). In HA and THA following femoral neck fracture, fixation method was divided into cemented and uncemented prostheses and paired according to age, sex, BMI, and the Elixhauser Comorbidity Index using Mahalanobis distance matching. Results. Overall in 13,612 cases of intracapsular femoral neck fracture, 9,110 (66.9%) HAs and 4,502 (33.1%) THAs were analyzed. Infection rate in HA was significantly reduced in cases with use of antibiotic-loaded cement compared with uncemented fixated prosthesis (p = 0.013). In patients with THA no statistical difference between cemented and uncemented prosthesis was registered, however after one year 2.4% of infections were detected in uncemented and 2.1% in cemented THA. In the subpopulation of HA after one year, 1.9% of infections were registered in cemented and 2.8% in uncemented HA. BMI (p = 0.001) and Elixhauser Comorbidity Index (p < 0.003) were identified as risk factors of periprosthetic joint infection (PJI), while in THA cemented prosthesis also demonstrated an increased risk within the first 30 days (hazard ratio (HR) = 2.73; p = 0.010). Conclusion. The rate of infection after intracapsular femoral neck fracture was statistically significantly reduced in patients treated by antibiotic-loaded cemented HA. Particularly for patients with multiple risk factors for the development of a PJI, the usage of antibiotic-loaded bone cement seems to be a reasonable procedure for prevention of infection. Cite this article: Bone Joint Res 2023;12(5):331–338

Aims. To investigate the optimal thresholds and diagnostic efficacy of commonly used serological and synovial fluid detection indexes for diagnosing periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) in patients who have rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods. The data from 348 patients who had RA or osteoarthritis (OA) and had previously undergone a total knee (TKA) and/or a total hip arthroplasty (THA) (including RA-PJI: 60 cases, RA-non-PJI: 80 cases; OA-PJI: 104 cases, OA-non-PJI: 104 cases) were retrospectively analyzed. A receiver operating characteristic curve was used to determine the optimal thresholds of the CRP, ESR, synovial fluid white blood cell count (WBC), and polymorphonuclear neutrophil percentage (PMN%) for diagnosing RA-PJI and OA-PJI. The diagnostic efficacy was evaluated by comparing the area under the curve (AUC) of each index and applying the results of the combined index diagnostic test. Results. For PJI prediction, the results of serological and synovial fluid indexes were different between the RA-PJI and OA-PJI groups. The optimal cutoff value of CRP for diagnosing RA-PJI was 12.5 mg/l, ESR was 39 mm/hour, synovial fluid WBC was 3,654/μl, and PMN% was 65.9%; and those of OA-PJI were 8.2 mg/l, 31 mm/hour, 2,673/μl, and 62.0%, respectively. In the RA-PJI group, the specificity (94.4%), positive predictive value (97.1%), and AUC (0.916) of synovial fluid WBC were higher than those of the other indexes. The optimal cutoff values of synovial fluid WBC and PMN% for diagnosing RA-PJI after THA were significantly higher than those of TKA. The specificity and positive predictive value of the combined index were 100%. Conclusion. Serum inflammatory and synovial fluid indexes can be used for diagnosing RA-PJI, for which synovial fluid WBC is the best detection index. Combining multiple detection indexes can provide a reference basis for the early and accurate diagnosis of RA-PJI. Cite this article: Bone Joint Res 2023;12(9):559–570

Aims. High-energy injuries can result in multiple complications, the most prevalent being infection. Vancomycin powder has been used with increasing frequency in orthopaedic trauma given its success in reducing infection following spine surgery. Additionally, large, traumatic injuries require wound coverage and management by dressings such as negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT). NPWT has been shown to decrease the ability of antibiotic cement beads to reduce infection, but its effect on antibiotic powder is not known. The goal of this study was to determine if NPWT reduces the efficacy of topically applied antibiotic powder. Methods. Complex musculoskeletal wounds were created in goats and inoculated with a strain of Staphylococcus aureus modified to emit light. Six hours after contaminating the wounds, imaging, irrigation, and debridement and treatment application were performed. Animals received either vancomycin powder with a wound pouch dressing or vancomycin powder with NPWT. Results. There were no differences in eradication of bacteria when vancomycin powder was used in combination with NPWT (4.5% of baseline) compared to vancomycin powder with a wound pouch dressing (1.7% of baseline) (p = 0.986), even though approximately 50% of the vancomycin was recovered in the NPWT exudate canister. Conclusion. The antimicrobial efficacy of the vancomycin powder was not diminished by the application of NPWT. These topical and locally applied therapies are potentially effective tools that can provide quick, simple treatments to prevent infection while providing coverage. By reducing the occurrence of infection, the recovery is shortened, leading to an overall improvement in quality of life. Cite this article: Bone Joint Res 2021;10(2):149–155

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The management of periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) remains a major challenge in orthopaedic surgery. In this study, we aimed to characterize the local bone microstructure and metabolism in a clinical cohort of patients with chronic PJI.

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The optimum type of antibiotics and their administration route for treating Gram-negative (GN) periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) remain controversial. This study aimed to determine the GN bacterial species and antibacterial resistance rates related to clinical GN-PJI, and to determine the efficacy and safety of intra-articular (IA) antibiotic injection after one-stage revision in a GN pathogen-induced PJI rat model of total knee arthroplasty.

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Although low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) combined with disinfectants has been shown to effectively eliminate portions of biofilm in vitro, its efficacy in vivo remains uncertain. Our objective was to assess the antibiofilm potential and safety of LIPUS combined with 0.35% povidone-iodine (PI) in a rat debridement, antibiotics, and implant retention (DAIR) model of periprosthetic joint infection (PJI).

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To explore the clinical efficacy of using two different types of articulating spacers in two-stage revision for chronic knee periprosthetic joint infection (kPJI).

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This study was designed to characterize the recurrence incidence and risk factors of antibiotic-loaded cement spacer (ALCS) for definitive bone defect treatment in limb osteomyelitis.

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This study aimed to evaluate the clinical application of the PJI-TNM classification for periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) by determining intraobserver and interobserver reliability. To facilitate its use in clinical practice, an educational app was subsequently developed and evaluated.

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This study aimed to explore the diagnostic value of synovial fluid neutrophil extracellular traps (SF-NETs) in periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) diagnosis, and compare it with that of microbial culture, serum ESR and CRP, synovial white blood cell (WBC) count, and polymorphonuclear neutrophil percentage (PMN%).

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We compared the risks of re-revision and mortality between two-stage and single-stage revision surgeries among patients with infected primary hip arthroplasty.

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We aimed to determine the concentrations of synovial vancomycin and meropenem in patients treated by single-stage revision combined with intra-articular infusion following periprosthetic joint infection (PJI), thereby validating this drug delivery approach.

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To investigate the efficacy of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid-normal saline (EDTA-NS) in dispersing biofilms and reducing bacterial infections.

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Biofilm infections are among the most challenging complications in orthopaedics, as bacteria within the biofilms are protected from the host immune system and many antibiotics. Halicin exhibits broad-spectrum activity against many planktonic bacteria, and previous studies have demonstrated that halicin is also effective against Staphylococcus aureus biofilms grown on polystyrene or polypropylene substrates. However, the effectiveness of many antibiotics can be substantially altered depending on which orthopaedically relevant substrates the biofilms grow. This study, therefore, evaluated the activity of halicin against less mature and more mature S. aureus biofilms grown on titanium alloy, cobalt-chrome, ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE), devitalized muscle, or devitalized bone.

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Bacteriophages infect, replicate inside bacteria, and are released from the host through lysis. Here, we evaluate the effects of repetitive doses of the Staphylococcus aureus phage 191219 and gentamicin against haematogenous and early-stage biofilm implant-related infections in Galleria mellonella.

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Fracture-related infection (FRI) is commonly classified based on the time of onset of symptoms. Early infections (< two weeks) are treated with debridement, antibiotics, and implant retention (DAIR). For late infections (> ten weeks), guidelines recommend implant removal due to tolerant biofilms. For delayed infections (two to ten weeks), recommendations are unclear. In this study we compared infection clearance and bone healing in early and delayed FRI treated with DAIR in a rabbit model.

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This aim of this study was to analyze the detection rate of rare pathogens in bone and joint infections (BJIs) using metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS), and the impact of mNGS on clinical diagnosis and treatment.

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This study aimed to explore the role of small colony variants (SCVs) of Staphylococcus aureus in intraosseous invasion and colonization in patients with periprosthetic joint infection (PJI).

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We compared the risks of re-revision and mortality between two-stage revision surgery and single-stage revision surgery among patients with infected primary knee arthroplasty.