Local Vancomycin Concentrations after Intra-articular Injection into the Knee Joint: An Experimental Porcine Study

Synergistic antibacterial drug elution from UHMWPE for load-bearing implants

Total joint replacement is a successful procedure for restoring the patient's musculoskeletal mobility and quality of life, but it carries the risk of severe peri-prosthetic joint infections (PJI) and is accompanied by post-operative pain. Cocktails of multiple drugs are often used for prevention/treatment of PJI and for addressing pain. Local drug delivery systems are promising for improving the outcome of the treatment and decreasing the side effects of systemic drugs. To this end, the ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) bearing surface of the joint implant is here proposed as a platform for simultaneous release of multiple therapeutics. The combined use of non-antibiotic drugs and antibiotics, and their incorporation into UHMWPE allows to obtain novel antibacterial implant materials. The combined elution of analgesics and antibiotics from UHMWPE is found to be synergistically effective in eradicating Staphylococcus aureus, as the non-antibiotic compound significantly enhances the antibacterial activity of the antibiotic. The drug properties and the employed method for their incorporation into UHMWPE are found to dictate the morphology, thus the mechanical properties of the resulting material. By adopting various fabrication methods, novel formulations showing an enhanced antibacterial activity and outstanding mechanical properties are here proposed to amplify the functionality of polymeric implant materials.

Antibiotic-Loaded Ultrahigh Molecular Weight Polyethylenes

The occurrence of periprosthetic joint infections (PJI) after total joint replacement constitutes a great burden for the patients and the healthcare system. Antibiotic-loaded polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) bone cement is often used in temporary spacers during antibiotic treatment. PMMA is not a load-bearing solution and needs to be replaced by a functional implant. Elution from the ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) bearing surface for drug delivery can combine functionality with the release of clinically relevant doses of antibiotics. In this study, the feasibility of incorporating a range of antibiotics into UHMWPE is investigated. Drug stability is assessed by thermo-gravimetric analysis and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Drug-loaded UHMWPEs are prepared by compression molding, using eight antibiotics at different loading. The predicted intra-articular concentrations of drugs eluted from UHMWPE are above minimum inhibitory concentration for at least 3 weeks against Staphylococci, which are the major causative bacteria for PJI. The antibacterial efficacy is confirmed for samples covering 2% of a representative knee implant in vitro over 72 h, showing that a small fraction of the implant surface loaded with antibiotics may be sufficient against Staphylococci.

Evaluation of cefuroxime concentration in the intrathecal and extrathecal compartments of the lumbar spine-an experimental study in pigs

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Optimal antibiotic prophylaxis is crucial to prevent postoperative infection in spinal surgery. Sufficient time above the minimal inhibitory concentration (fT > MIC) for relevant bacteria in target tissues is required for cefuroxime. We assessed cefuroxime concentrations and fT > MIC of 4 μg·ml-1 for Staphylococcus aureus in the intrathecal (spinal cord and cerebrospinal fluid, CSF) and extrathecal (epidural space) compartments of the lumbar spine.

EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH

Eight female pigs were anaesthetized and laminectomized at L3-L4. Microdialysis catheters were placed for sampling in the spinal cord, CSF, and epidural space. A single dose of 1500 mg cefuroxime was administered intravenously over 10 min. Microdialysates and plasma were obtained continuously during 8 h. Cefuroxime concentrations were determined by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography.

KEY RESULTS

Mean fT > MIC (4 μg·ml-1 ) was 58 min in the spinal cord, 0 min in the CSF, 115 min in the epidural space, and 123 min in plasma. Tissue penetration was 32% in the spinal cord, 7% in the CSF, and 63% in the epidural space.

CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS

fT > MIC (4 μg·ml-1 ) and tissue penetration for cefuroxime were lower in the intrathecal compartments (spinal cord and CSF) than in the extrathecal compartment (epidural space) and plasma, suggesting a significant effect of the blood-brain barrier. In terms of fT > MIC, a single dose of 1500 mg cefuroxime seems inadequate to prevent intrathecal infections related to spinal surgery for bacteria presenting with a MIC target of 4 μg· ml-1 or above.

Vancomycin bone and tissue concentrations following tibial intraosseous administration - evaluated in a porcine model

Introduction. Systemic perioperative vancomycin may not provide sufficient prophylactic target-site concentrations in the prevention of prosthetic joint infections. Intraosseous vancomycin potentially provides high target-site concentrations. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the local bone and tissue concentrations following tibial intraosseous vancomycin administration in a porcine model. Methods. Eight pigs received 500 mg diluted vancomycin (50 mg/mL) through an intraosseous cannula into the proximal tibial cancellous bone. No tourniquet was applied. Microdialysis was applied for sampling of vancomycin concentrations in adjacent tibial cancellous bone, in cortical bone, in the intramedullary canal of the diaphysis, in the synovial fluid of the knee joint, and in the subcutaneous tissue. Plasma samples were obtained as a systemic reference. Samples were collected for 12 h. Results. High vancomycin concentrations were found in the tibial cancellous bone with a mean peak drug concentration of 1236 (range 28-5295)  µ g / mL , which remained high throughout the sampling period. The mean (standard deviation) peak drug concentration in plasma was 19 (2)  µ g / mL , which was obtained immediately after administration. Peak drug concentration, time to peak drug concentration, and area under the concentration-time curve were within the same range in the intramedullary canal, the synovial fluid of the knee, and the subcutaneous tissue. Conclusion. Tibial intraosseous administration of vancomycin provided high concentrations in tibial cancellous bone throughout a 12 h period but with an unpredictable and wide range of peak concentration. The systemic absorption was high and immediate, thus mirroring an intravenous administration. Low mean concentrations were found in all the remaining compartments.

Flucloxacillin bone and soft tissue concentrations assessed by microdialysis in pigs after intravenous and oral administration

Aims

Flucloxacillin is commonly administered intravenously for perioperative antimicrobial prophylaxis, while oral administration is typical for prophylaxis following smaller traumatic wounds. We assessed the time, for which the free flucloxacillin concentration was maintained above the minimum inhibitory concentration (fT > MIC) for methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus in soft and bone tissue, after intravenous and oral administration, using microdialysis in a porcine model.

Methods

A total of 16 pigs were randomly allocated to either intravenous (Group IV) or oral (Group PO) flucloxacillin 1 g every six hours during a 24-hour period. Microdialysis was used for sampling in cancellous and cortical bone, subcutaneous tissue, and the knee joint. In addition, plasma was sampled. The flucloxacillin fT > MIC was evaluated using a low MIC target (0.5 μg/ml) and a high MIC target (2.0 μg/ml).

Results

Intravenous administration resulted in longer fT > MIC (0.5 μg/ml) compared to oral administration, except for cortical bone. In Group IV, all pigs reached a concentration of 0.5 μg/ml in all compartments. The mean fT > MIC (0.5 μg/ml) was 149 minutes (95% confidence interval (CI) 119 to 179; range 68 to 323) in subcutaneous tissue and 61 minutes (95% CI 29 to 94; range 0 to 121) to 106 minutes (95% CI 76 to 136; range 71 to 154) in bone tissue. In Group PO, 0/8 pigs reached a concentration of 0.5 μg/ml in all compartments. For the high MIC target (2.0 μg/ml), fT > MIC was close to zero minutes in both groups across compartments.

Conclusion

Although intravenous administration of flucloxacillin 1 g provided higher fT > MIC for the low MIC target compared to oral administration, concentrations were surprisingly low, particularly for bone tissue. Achievement of sufficient bone and soft tissue flucloxacillin concentrations may require a dose increase or continuous administration.

Cite this article: Bone Joint Res 2021;10(1):60–67.