Prosthetic joint infection (PJI) remains one of the most challenging complications to manage following total joint arthroplasty (TJA). There is a paucity of published data on the management of PJI in smaller, rural hospital settings. In this study, we investigate [1] the success rate of surgical management for PJI following TJA and [2] the microbiology of infecting organisms in this unique geographical environment.

We performed a retrospective single-centre study at a rural hospital (Southland Hospital, Invercargill, New Zealand) over a 3-year period (2019 to 2022). All patients presenting with a first episode of PJI fulfilling Musculoskeletal Infection Society criteria after hip or knee arthroplasty were included. All patients had a minimum follow up of 6 months. Treatment success was defined eradication of infection.

Twenty-one cases (14 hips and 7 knees) were identified. These were managed with Debridement, antibiotics, and implant retention (DAIR) procedure (n=14, 67%), single-stage revision (n=6, 29%), or long-term suppressive antibiotics (n=1, 4%). Of the DAIR patients, infection recurred in 50% and underwent subsequent revision. Of the single-stage revision patients, 17% failed and underwent subsequent revision. The overall success rate was 90%. Methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) was the most isolated pathogen (57%,) with no methicillin-resistance Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) identified. Overall, 90% of infecting organisms were cefazolin sensitive.

These results suggest that management of PJI is a safe and viable treatment option when performed in a rural hospital setting, with comparable treatment success rates to urban centres. The incidence of MRSA is low in this setting. Rates of antibiotic resistance were relatively low and most organisms were sensitive to cefazolin, the routine antibiotic used in prophylaxis.