Outcome of debridement and retention in prosthetic joint infections by methicillin-resistant staphylococci, with special reference to rifampin and fusidic acid combination therapy.

The management of prosthetic joint infections remains a clinical challenge, particularly infections due to methicillin-resistant staphylococci. Previously, this infection was considered a contraindication to debridement and retention strategies. This retrospective cohort study examined the treatment and outcomes of patients with arthroplasty infection by methicillin-resistant staphylococci managed by debridement and retention in conjunction with rifampin-fusidic acid combination therapy. Over an 11-year period, there were 43 patients with infection by methicillin-resistant staphylococci managed with debridement and retention. This consisted of close-interval repeated arthrotomies with pulsatile lavage. Rifampin was combined with fusidic acid for the majority of patients (88%). Patients were monitored for a median of 33.5 months (interquartile range, 20 to 54 months). Overall, 9 patients experienced treatment failure, with 12- and 24-month estimates of infection-free survival of 86% (95% confidence interval [CI], 71 to 93%) and 77% (95% CI, 60 to 87%), respectively. The following factors were associated with treatment failure: methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) arthroplasty infection, a single surgical debridement or ≥4 debridements, and the receipt of less than 90 days of antibiotic therapy. Patients with infection by methicillin-resistant coagulase-negative staphylococci (MR-CNS) were less likely to fail treatment. The overall treatment success rate reported in this study is comparable to those of other treatment modalities for prosthetic joint infections by methicillin-resistant staphylococci. Therefore, the debridement and retention of the prosthesis and rifampin-based antibiotic therapy are a valid treatment option for carefully selected patients.

Gram-negative prosthetic joint infection treated with debridement, prosthesis retention and antibiotic regimens including a fluoroquinolone.

Information is required about treatment outcomes of Gram-negative prosthetic joint infections treated with prosthesis retention and surgical debridement, especially where biofilm-active antibiotics such as fluoroquinolones are used. The outcome of 17 consecutive patients with an early Gram-negative prosthetic joint infection who had been treated with prosthesis retention and surgical debridement was analysed. Enterobacteriaceae were isolated in 16 patients and infections were mixed with other organisms in 13 (76%) patients. The median joint age was 17 days and the median duration of symptoms before debridement was 7 days. All patients initially received intravenous ß-lactam antibiotic therapy and 14 patients were then treated with oral ciprofloxacin. Treatment failure occurred in two patients over a median period of follow-up of 28 months. In only one patient was a relapsed Gram-negative infection responsible for the failure and this patient had not been treated with ciprofloxacin. The 2-year survival rate free of treatment failure was 94% (95% CI, 63-99%). Prosthesis retention with surgical debridement, in combination with antibiotic regimens including ciprofloxacin, was effective and should be considered for patients with early Gram-negative prosthetic joint infection.

Treatment of staphylococcal prosthetic joint infections with debridement, prosthesis retention and oral rifampicin and fusidic acid.

There is growing evidence of the efficacy of treating early staphylococcal infections of prosthetic joints with surgical debridement and prosthesis retention, combined with oral antibiotic regimens that include rifampicin in combination with a fluoroquinolone. With rising rates of fluoroquinolone-resistant staphylococci, evidence concerning the efficacy of alternative combinations of antibiotics is required. Twenty patients with staphylococcal prosthetic joint infections who had been treated with surgical debridement and prosthesis retention, and a combination of rifampicin and fusidic acid were analysed. The mean duration of symptoms before initial debridement was 16 (range 2-75) days. The median time of follow-up was 32 (range 6-76) months. Treatment failure occurred in two patients. The cumulative risk of treatment failure after 1 year was 11.76% (95% CI 3.08-39.40%). Two patients had their treatment changed because of nausea. Ten of 11 patients with infections involving methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus had successful outcomes. Debridement without prosthesis removal, in combination with rifampicin and fusidic acid treatment, was effective and should be considered for patients with early staphylococcal prosthetic joint infections, including those with infections involving fluoroquinolone-resistant organisms.