General Assembly, Prevention, Postoperative Factors: Proceedings of International Consensus on Orthopedic Infections

Antibiotic Prophylaxis Prior to Dental Procedures After Total Hip and Knee Arthroplasty Does Not Decrease the Risk of Periprosthetic Joint Infection

BACKGROUND

Periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) is a devastating complication after total hip and total knee arthroplasty (THA/TKA). While some guidelines no longer recommend routine use of prophylactic antibiotics for dental procedures, many surgeons continue to prescribe antibiotics for their THA/TKA patients. In a setting of increasing antibiotic resistance, it is important to reduce unnecessary antibiotic use. This study aims to evaluate antibiotics prior to dental procedures and the association between dental procedures and PJI.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective cohort study of patients who underwent THA/TKA between January 1, 2019 and December 31, 2020. The primary outcome was late-presenting PJI, occurring > 90 days after surgery. Patients were designated in the antibiotic group (2,000 mg of amoxicillin) or non-antibiotic group based on their surgeon's prophylaxis protocol. Dental-associated PJIs were considered if the patient had evidence of poor dentition or a recent dental procedure prior to the onset of PJI symptoms.

RESULTS

There were 2,871 (26.4%) patients in the no antibiotics group and 8,023 (73.6%) patients in the antibiotics group. We found 27 (0.3%) late-presenting PJIs and 4 dental-associated PJIs. In the univariate and multivariable analyses, body mass index ≥-30 and revision surgery were the only variables that increased the odds of late-presenting PJI. All 4 dental-associated PJIs occurred in patients prescribed antibiotics.

CONCLUSIONS

We found a low rate of late-presenting PJI. Routine antibiotics prior to dental procedures were not shown to affect the risk of late-presenting PJI. These findings suggest that routine antibiotic prophylaxis before dental procedures is not necessary after THA/TKA.

Ninety-day postoperative mortality and complications in continuous and unselected single-stage revisions for chronic periprosthetic joint infection

PURPOSE

Single-stage revision has gained significant attention as a major surgical approach for periprosthetic joint infection (PJI). However, the 90-day mortality and complication profile of single-stage revision is poorly characterized. The purposes of this study were to determine the incidence rates of and identify the risk factors for 90-day postoperative mortality and complications of single-stage revision for chronic PJI.

METHODS

A retrospective review was conducted on patients who underwent single-stage revision for PJI between August 2000 and May 2022. Patient demographics, 90-day mortality, and postoperative complications were recorded. Complications were categorized into systemic and local complications. Patients in this study were further categorized into knee and hip revision groups. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to identify significant independent predictors of the outcome measures.

RESULTS

348 patients (144 knees and 204 hips) were included in this study. The 90-day mortality rate was 0.9%. The incidence rates of postoperative complications in knee and hip surgeries were 31.3% and 19.6%, respectively. The most common complication was deep-vein thrombosis (DVT). Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) was the independent predictor of mortality. In the knee revision group, fungal infection was identified as the independent predictor of recurrent PJI; regular alcohol use was predictive of wound dehiscence. Among hip PJI patients, age ≥ 80 years was independently associated with DVT; RA was found to be a predictor of dislocation and wound dehiscence.

CONCLUSION

For continuous and unselected patients with chronic PJI, single-stage revision demonstrated a satisfactory 90-day mortality. Nevertheless, the 90-day postoperative complication rates after single-stage revision in both knee and hip groups were relatively high.

Is there a Role for Antibiotic Prophylaxis Prior to Dental Procedures in Patients with Total Joint Arthroplasty? A Systematic Review of the Literature

Background: The indication of prophylactic antibiotics prior to dental procedures for non-infected causes in order to reduce the risk of haematogenous periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) remains as controversial. We performed a systematic review of the literature assessing the relationship between PJI and invasive dental procedures and whether there is evidence to support the use of antibiotic prophylaxis. Methods: This review was conducted in accordance with the 2009 Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) statement. MEDLINE, EMBASE and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews were searched for studies focusing on dental procedures after TJA, reporting on PJI as an outcome. The methodological quality was assessed with the Newcastle-Ottawa quality assessment scale for case-control and cohort studies and by the tool proposed by Murad et al. for observational studies. Results: Our systematic literature review yielded 90 individual studies, of which 9 met the inclusion criteria. The overall infection rate ranged from 0.26% to 2.12%. Of these, cases associated with a dental procedure ranged from 0% to 15.9%. Five of the studies described cases in which antibiotic prophylaxis was administered; however, no clear algorithm regarding type and dosage of antibiotic was mentioned. When assessing the methodological quality of the evidence, all studies had an overall low to moderate quality. Conclusion: The current systematic review, mostly composed of low-quality studies, suggests that there is no direct evidence to indicate prophylactic antibiotics prior to dental procedures in patients with TJA. In line with the current guidelines, no prophylaxis should be used on interventions for non-infected causes, except for occasional unusual situations, which can then be judged individually.

Aspirin Thromboprophylaxis Confers No Increased Risk for Aseptic Loosening Following Cementless Primary Hip Arthroplasty

BACKGROUND

Aspirin has been shown to be a safe and cost-effective thromboprophylaxis agent with equivalent preventive efficacy to warfarin and fewer side-effects. However, animal studies have suggested delayed bone healing with aspirin and other inhibitors of prostaglandin synthesis. The impact of aspirin on aseptic loosening following cementless total hip arthroplasty (THA) has yet to be explored. Our aim was to determine if patients receiving aspirin for thromboprophylaxis had higher rates of aseptic loosening vs patients receiving warfarin after THA.

METHODS

We identified 11,262 consecutive primary uncemented THA performed between 2006 and 2017. Postoperatively, either warfarin (target international normalized ratio 1.5-2.0) or aspirin chemoprophylaxis were prescribed for 4 weeks. We recorded demographics, length of stay, body mass index, preoperative nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug use, and Elixhauser comorbidity index. All revisions because of aseptic loosening within 1 year of the index procedure were identified radiographically, confirmed intraoperatively, and did not fulfill Musculoskeletal Infection Society criteria for periprosthetic infection. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed.

RESULTS

There was no difference (P = .14) in the rates of revision for aseptic loosening between patients in the aspirin cohort (14/4530; 0.31%; P = .14) and the warfarin cohort (36/6682; 0.54%). After accounting for confounding variables, no significant difference was noted in aseptic loosening rates between patients treated with aspirin vs those treated with warfarin (adjusted odds ratio 0.51; P = .11). Perioperative nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug was not significantly associated with aseptic loosening (adjusted odds ratio 1.20; P = .67).

CONCLUSION

While multiple agents are available for venous thromboprophylaxis, there is increasing evidence in favor of the use of aspirin. This study allays the notion that aspirin increases the rates of aseptic loosening following uncemented hip arthroplasty.