The aim of this study was to establish the diagnostic accuracy
of culture of joint aspirate with and without saline injection-reaspiration. This is a retrospective analysis of 580 hip and knee aspirations
in patients who were deemed to have a moderate to high risk of infection,
and who subsequently proceeded to revision arthroplasty over a period
of 12 years. It was carried out at a large quaternary referral centre
where preoperative aspiration is routine.Aims
Patients and Methods
To analyse the effectiveness of debridement and implant retention
(DAIR) in patients with hip periprosthetic joint infection (PJI)
and the relationship to patient characteristics. The outcome was
evaluated in hips with confirmed PJI and a follow-up of not less
than two years. Patients in whom DAIR was performed were identified from our
hip arthroplasty register (between 2004 and 2013). Adherence to
criteria for DAIR was assessed according to a previously published
algorithm.Aims
Patients and Methods
Prosthetic joint infection (PJI) is a devastating complication following total joint arthroplasty. Non-contact induction heating of metal implants is a new and emerging treatment for PJI. However, there may be concerns for potential tissue necrosis. It is thought that segmental induction heating can be used to control the thermal dose and to limit collateral thermal injury to the bone and surrounding tissues. The purpose of this study was to determine the thermal dose, for commonly used metal implants in orthopaedic surgery, at various distances from the heating centre (HC). Commonly used metal orthopaedic implants (hip stem, intramedullary nail, and locking compression plate (LCP)) were heated segmentally using an induction heater. The thermal dose was expressed in cumulative equivalent minutes at 43°C (CEM43) and measured with a thermal camera at several different distances from the HC. A value of 16 CEM43 was used as the threshold for thermal damage in bone.Objectives
Methods
Deep infection was identified as a serious complication in the earliest days of total hip arthroplasty. It was identified that airborne contamination in conventional operating theatres was the major contributing factor. As progress was made in improving the engineering of operating theatres, airborne contamination was reduced. Detailed studies were carried out relating airborne contamination to deep infection rates. In a trial conducted by the United Kingdom Medical Research Council (MRC), it was found that the use of ultra-clean air (UCA) operating theatres was associated with a significant reduction in deep infection rates. Deep infection rates were further reduced by the use of a body exhaust system. The MRC trial also included a detailed microbiology study, which confirmed the relationship between airborne contamination and deep infection rates. Recent observational evidence from joint registries has shown that in contemporary practice, infection rates remain a problem, and may be getting worse. Registry observations have also called into question the value of “laminar flow” operating theatres. Observational evidence from joint registries provides very limited evidence on the efficacy of UCA operating theatres. Although there have been some changes in surgical practice in recent years, the conclusions of the MRC trial remain valid, and the use of UCA is essential in preventing deep infection. There is evidence that if UCA operating theatres are not used correctly, they may have poor microbiological performance. Current UCA operating theatres have limitations, and further research is required to update them and improve their microbiological performance in contemporary practice. Cite this article:
Calcium sulphate (CaSO4) is a resorbable material
that can be used simultaneously as filler of a dead space and as
a carrier for the local application of antibiotics. Our aim was
to describe the systemic exposure and the wound fluid concentrations
of vancomycin in patients treated with vancomycin-loaded CaSO4 as
an adjunct to the routine therapy of bone and joint infections. A total of 680 post-operative blood and 233 wound fluid samples
were available for analysis from 94 implantations performed in 87
patients for various infective indications. Up to 6 g of vancomycin
were used. Non-compartmental pharmacokinetic analysis was performed
on the data from 37 patients treated for an infection of the hip.Aims
Patients and Methods
The aim of this study was to determine whether the sequential
application of povidone iodine-alcohol (PVI) followed by chlorhexidine
gluconate-alcohol (CHG) would reduce surgical wound contamination
to a greater extent than PVI applied twice in patients undergoing
spinal surgery. A single-centre, interventional, two arm, parallel group randomised
controlled trial was undertaken, involving 407 patients who underwent
elective spinal surgery. For 203 patients, the skin was disinfected before surgery using
PVI (10% [w/w (1% w/w available iodine)] in 95% industrial denatured
alcohol, povidone iodine; Videne Alcoholic Tincture) twice, and
for 204 patients using PVI once followed by CHG (2% [w/v] chlorhexidine
gluconate in 70% [v/v] isopropyl alcohol; Chloraprep with tint).
The primary outcome measure was contamination of the wound determined
by aerobic and anaerobic bacterial growth from samples taken after
disinfection.Aims
Patients and Methods
The classical longitudinal incision used for the direct anterior
approach (DAA) to the hip does not follow the tension lines of the
skin and can lead to impaired wound healing and poor cosmesis. The
purpose of this retrospective study was to determine the satisfaction
with the scar, and functional and radiographic outcomes comparing
the classic longitudinal incision with a modified skin crease ‘bikini’
when the DAA is used for total hip arthroplasty (THA). A total of 964 patients (51% female; 59% longitudinal, 41% ‘bikini’)
completed a follow-up questionnaire between two and four years postoperatively,
including the Oxford Hip Score (OHS), the University of North Carolina
‘4P’ scar scale (UNC4P) and two items for assessing the aesthetic
appearance of the scar and symptoms of numbness. The positioning
of the components, rates of heterotopic ossification (HO) and rates
of revision were assessed.Aims
Patients and Methods
The aim of this review was to evaluate the available literature
and to calculate the pooled sensitivity and specificity for the
different alpha-defensin test systems that may be used to diagnose
prosthetic joint infection (PJI). Studies using alpha-defensin or Synovasure (Zimmer Biomet, Warsaw,
Indiana) to diagnose PJI were identified from systematic searches
of electronic databases. The quality of the studies was evaluated
using the Quality Assessment of Studies of Diagnostic Accuracy (QUADAS)
tool. Meta-analysis was completed using a bivariate model.Aims
Materials and Methods
Surgical site infection (SSI) is a common complication of surgery
with an incidence of about 1% in the United Kingdom. Sutures can
lead to the development of a SSI, as micro-organisms can colonize
the suture as it is implanted. Triclosan-coated sutures, being antimicrobical,
were developed to reduce the rate of SSI. Our aim was to assess
whether triclosan-coated sutures cause a reduction in SSIs following
arthroplasty of the hip and knee. This two-arm, parallel, double-blinded study involved 2546 patients
undergoing elective total hip (THA) and total knee arthroplasty
(TKA) at three hospitals. A total of 1323 were quasi-randomized
to a standard suture group, and 1223 being quasi-randomized to the
triclosan-coated suture group. The primary endpoint was the rate
of SSI at 30 days postoperatively.Aims
Patients and Methods
The aim of this study was to identify the incidence of positive
cultures during the second stage of a two-stage revision arthroplasty
and to analyse the association between positive cultures and an
infection-free outcome. This single-centre retrospective review of prospectively collected
data included patients with a periprosthetic joint infection (PJI)
of either the hip or the knee between 2013 and 2015, who were treated
using a standardised diagnostic and therapeutic algorithm with two-stage
exchange. Failure of treatment was assessed according to a definition
determined by a Delphi-based consensus. Logistic regression analysis
was performed to assess the predictors of positive culture and risk
factors for failure. The mean follow-up was 33 months (24 to 48).Aims
Patients and Methods
Periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) complicates
between 0.5% and 1.2% primary total hip arthroplasties (THAs) and
may have devastating consequences. The traditional assessment of
patients suffering from PJI has involved the serological study of
inflammatory markers and microbiological analysis of samples obtained
from the joint space. Treatment has involved debridement and revision
arthroplasty performed in either one or two stages. We present an update on the burden of PJI, strategies for its
diagnosis and treatment, the challenge of resistant organisms and
the need for definitive evidence to guide the treatment of PJI after
THA. Cite this article:
Positive cultures are not uncommon in cases of revision total
knee and hip arthroplasty (TKA and THA) for presumed aseptic causes.
The purpose of this study was to assess the incidence of positive
intra-operative cultures in presumed aseptic revision of TKA and
THA, and to determine whether the presence of intra-operative positive cultures
results in inferior survival in such cases. A retrospective cohort study was assembled with 679 patients
undergoing revision knee (340 cases) or hip arthroplasty (339 cases)
for presumed aseptic causes. For all patients three or more separate
intra-operative cultures were obtained. Patients were diagnosed
with a previously unsuspected prosthetic joint infection (PJI) if two
or more cultures were positive with the same organism. Records were
reviewed for demographic details, pre-operative laboratory results
and culture results. The primary outcome measure was infection-free
implant survival at two years.Aims
Patients and Methods
Demineralised bone matrix (DBM) is rarely used for the local
delivery of prophylactic antibiotics. Our aim, in this study, was
to show that a graft with a bioactive glass and DBM combination,
which is currently available for clinical use, can be loaded with
tobramycin and release levels of antibiotic greater than the minimum
inhibitory concentration for Antibiotic was loaded into a graft and subsequently evaluated
for drug elution kinetics and the inhibition of bacterial growth.
A rat femoral condylar plug model was used to determine the effect
of the graft, loaded with antibiotic, on bone healing.Aims
Materials and Methods
Systemic antibiotics reduce infection in open
fractures. Local delivery of antibiotics can provide higher doses
to wounds without toxic systemic effects. This study investigated
the effect on infection of combining systemic with local antibiotics
via polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) beads or gel delivery. An established Combined local and systemic antibiotics were superior to systemic
antibiotics alone at reducing the quantity of bacteria recoverable
from each group (p = 0.002 for gel; p = 0.032 for beads). There
was no difference in the bacterial counts between bead and gel delivery
(p = 0.62). These results suggest that local antibiotics augment the antimicrobial
effect of systemic antibiotics. Although no significant difference
was found between vehicles, gel delivery offers technical advantages
with its biodegradable nature, ability to conform to wound shape
and to deliver increased doses. Further study is required to see
if the gel delivery system has a clinical role. Cite this article:
Deep bone and joint infections (DBJI) are directly intertwined with health, demographic change towards an elderly population, and wellbeing. The elderly human population is more prone to acquire infections, and the consequences such as pain, reduced quality of life, morbidity, absence from work and premature retirement due to disability place significant burdens on already strained healthcare systems and societal budgets. DBJIs are less responsive to systemic antibiotics because of poor vascular perfusion in necrotic bone, large bone defects and persistent biofilm-based infection. Emerging bacterial resistance poses a major threat and new innovative treatment modalities are urgently needed to curb its current trajectory. We present a new biphasic ceramic bone substitute consisting of hydroxyapatite and calcium sulphate for local antibiotic delivery in combination with bone regeneration. Gentamicin release was measured in four setups: 1) Objectives
Materials and Methods
The aim of this study was to identify risk factors for the failure
of exchange nailing in nonunion of tibial diaphyseal fractures. A cohort of 102 tibial diaphyseal nonunions in 101 patients with
a mean age of 36.9 years (15 to 74) were treated between January
1992 and December 2012 by exchange nailing. Of which 33 (32%) were
initially open injuries. The median time from primary fixation to
exchange nailing was 6.5 months (interquartile range (IQR) 4.3 to
9.8 months). The main outcome measures were union, number of secondary fixation
procedures required to achieve union and time to union. Univariate analysis and multiple regression were used to identify
risk factors for failure to achieve union. Aims
Patients and Methods
