Acute or chronic periprosthetic joint infection? Using the ESR ∕ CRP ratio to aid in determining the acuity of periprosthetic joint infections

Diagnostic value of ratio of blood inflammation to coagulation markers in periprosthetic joint infection

Introduction

Assess the feasibility of utilizing the ratio of blood inflammation to coagulation markers as a potential periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) diagnostic tool.

Materials and methods

A retrospective analysis was conducted, involving 133 PJI and 93 aseptic loosening patients. Levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), platelet count, mean platelet volume, fibrinogen, D-dimer, and ratios of CRP to fibrinogen, ESR to fibrinogen, platelet count and mean platelet volume ratio (PC/MPV), and D-dimer were compared. Receiver operating characteristic curves and Youden's index were employed to assess the diagnostic efficacy of these biomarkers.

Results

PJI patients had significantly higher levels of CRP, ESR, PC/MPV ratio, fibrinogen, D-dimer, CRP/(PC/MPV) ratio (CPR), CRP/D-dimer, CRP/fibrinogen (CFR), ESR/(PC/MPV) ratio, ESR/D-dimer, and ESR/fibrinogen. Area under the curve (AUC) values for fibrinogen, CRP, and ESR in diagnosing PJI were comparable. AUC values for CPR and CFR were akin to those of ESR. AUC values for combined CRP and CPR, combined CRP and fibrinogen, combined CRP and CFR, and combined ESR and fibrinogen in diagnosing PJI were akin to that of combined CRP and ESR.

Conclusions

Fibrinogen, CPR, CFR, combined CRP and CPR, combined CRP and fibrinogen, combined CRP and CFR, and combined ESR and fibrinogen could be considered as new adjunct markers for diagnosing PJI.

Serum C-Reactive Protein to Hemoglobin Ratio: Novel Biomarkers for the Diagnosis of Chronic Periprosthetic Joint Infection

BACKGROUND

Despite several markers being evaluated and available in recent years, diagnosing periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) remains challenging. There is a pressing need to explore reliable, economical, convenient, highly sensitive, and specific diagnostic biomarkers to diagnose PJI. This study aimed to investigate the diagnostic value of combined serum markers with CRP and ESR in PJI.

METHODS

A total of 841 revision arthroplasty cases, including 435 PJI and 406 non-PJI patients, were enrolled from January 2010 through December 2022. The diagnostic values of C-reactive protein (CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), CRP + ESR (CE), CRP/hemoglobin ratio (CHR), CRP/albumin ratio (CAR), CRP/hemoglobin + albumin ratio (C/HAR), ESR/hemoglobin ratio (EHR), ESR/albumin ratio (EAR), ESR/hemoglobin + albumin ratio (E/HAR), and hemoglobin + albumin (HA) were evaluated using sensitivity, specificity, and receiver operating characteristics analysis with area under the curve (AUC). The optimal threshold was determined using the Youden index.

RESULTS

The CHR had the highest AUC (0.87, 95% CI [confidence interval] 0.85 to 0.90) and sensitivity (0.81, 95% CI 0.77 to 0.85) compared to other markers. The CHR exhibited reliable diagnostic adequacy for PJIs caused by low-virulent organisms (sensitivity 0.83, 95% CI 0.76 to 0.89; specificity 0.83, 95% CI 0.79 to 0.86). However, CHR displayed poor sensitivity (0.77, 95% CI 0.67 to 0.86) in patients who have diabetes.

CONCLUSIONS

The CHR demonstrated better diagnostic strength in detecting chronic PJI than other classical markers, especially in identifying low-grade infections. Our findings offer new insights into a more accurate and comprehensive picture of pathogens and hosts, thereby improving the accuracy of diagnostic algorithms.

Local antibiotic delivery via intra-articular catheter infusion for the treatment of periprosthetic joint infection: a systematic review

INTRODUCTION

There is an increasing interest in the use of intra-articular (IA) antibiotic infusion as a stand-alone or adjuvant therapy to standard revision surgery for periprosthetic joint infection (PJI). The objective of this systematic review is to evaluate the evidence with respect to this up-and-coming treatment modality.

METHODS

A systematic review of studies published until April 2023 was conducted using PubMed, Embase, MEDLINE and Cochrane databases. Quality assessment was performed with the National Institute of Health quality assessment tool. Inclusion criteria were adult patients (≥ 18 years) with a mean follow-up of ≥ 11 months and a score ≥ 6 on the National Institute of Health quality assessment tool. Primary outcome was eradication of infection.

RESULTS

15 articles, encompassing 631 PJIs in 626 patients, were included in the final analysis, all level IV case series. The majority was treated with single-stage revision with adjuvant IA antibiotic infusion (79.1%). The remaining PJIs were treated with stand-alone IA antibiotic infusion (12.2%), DAIR (debridement, antibiotics and implant retention) with adjuvant IA antibiotic infusion (5.7%) or two-stage revision with adjuvant IA antibiotic infusion (3.0%). Mean duration of IA antibiotic infusion was 19 days (range 3-50). An overall failure rate of approximately 11% was found. In total 117 complications occurred, 71 were non-catheter-related and 46 were catheter-related. The most common catheter-related complications were premature loss of the catheter (18/46) and elevated blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and creatinine levels (12/46).

CONCLUSIONS

Due to the lack of comparative studies the (added) benefit of IA antibiotic infusion in the treatment of PJI remains uncertain. Based on the current evidence, we would advise against using it as a stand-alone treatment. A prospective randomized controlled trial using a well-described infusion protocol is needed to see if the potential benefits justify the increased costs and potential complications of this treatment modality.

The PJI-TNM classification for periprosthetic joint infections

Aims

This study aimed to evaluate the clinical application of the PJI-TNM classification for periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) by determining intraobserver and interobserver reliability. To facilitate its use in clinical practice, an educational app was subsequently developed and evaluated.

Methods

A total of ten orthopaedic surgeons classified 20 cases of PJI based on the PJI-TNM classification. Subsequently, the classification was re-evaluated using the PJI-TNM app. Classification accuracy was calculated separately for each subcategory (reinfection, tissue and implant condition, non-human cells, and morbidity of the patient). Fleiss' kappa and Cohen's kappa were calculated for interobserver and intraobserver reliability, respectively.

Results

Overall, interobserver and intraobserver agreements were substantial across the 20 classified cases. Analyses for the variable 'reinfection' revealed an almost perfect interobserver and intraobserver agreement with a classification accuracy of 94.8%. The category 'tissue and implant conditions' showed moderate interobserver and substantial intraobserver reliability, while the classification accuracy was 70.8%. For 'non-human cells,' accuracy was 81.0% and interobserver agreement was moderate with an almost perfect intraobserver reliability. The classification accuracy of the variable 'morbidity of the patient' reached 73.5% with a moderate interobserver agreement, whereas the intraobserver agreement was substantial. The application of the app yielded comparable results across all subgroups.

Conclusion

The PJI-TNM classification system captures the heterogeneity of PJI and can be applied with substantial inter- and intraobserver reliability. The PJI-TNM educational app aims to facilitate application in clinical practice. A major limitation was the correct assessment of the implant situation. To eliminate this, a re-evaluation according to intraoperative findings is strongly recommended.

Ratio of procalcitonin/Simpson's dominance index predicted the short-term prognosis of patients with severe bacterial pneumonia

Objective

The aim of this study was to explore the predictive value of the ratio of procalcitonin (PCT) in serum to Simpson's dominance index (SDI) in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), in short-term prognosis of patients with severe bacterial pneumonia (SBP).

Methods

This is a retrospective review of case materials of 110 patients with SBP who selected BALF metagenomic next-generation sequencing technique in the intensive care unit (ICU) of the Affiliated Hospital of Yangzhou University from January 2019 and July 2022. Based on the acute physiology and chronic health status score II, within 24 h after admission to the ICU, patients were divided into a non-critical group (n = 40) and a critical group (n = 70). Taking death caused by bacterial pneumonia as the endpoint event, the 28-day prognosis was recorded, and the patients were divided into a survival group (n = 76) and a death group (n = 34). The SDI, PCT, C-reactive protein (CRP), PCT/SDI, and CRP/SDI were compared and analyzed.

Results

Compared with the non-critical group, the critical group had a higher PCT level, a greater PCT/SDI ratio, a longer ventilator-assisted ventilation time (VAVT), and more deaths in 28 days. Compared with the survivors, the death group had a higher PCT level, a lower SDI level, and a greater PCT/SDI ratio. The SDI level was significantly negatively correlated with the VAVT (r = -0.675, p < 0.05), while the PCT level, ratio of PCT/SDI, and ratio of CRP/SDI were remarkably positively correlated with VAVT (r = 0.669, 0.749, and 0.718, respectively, p < 0.05). The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves analysis showed that the area under ROC curves of PCT/SDI predicting patient death within 28 days was 0.851, followed by PCT + SDI, PCT, SDI, and CRP/SDI (0.845, 0.811, 0.778, and 0.720, respectively). The sensitivity and specificity of PCT/SDI for predicting death were 94.1% and 65.8%, respectively, at the optimal value (11.56). Cox regression analysis displayed that PCT/SDI (HR = 1.562; 95% CI: 1.271 to 1.920; p = 0.039) and PCT (HR = 1.148; 95% CI: 1.105 to 1.314; p = 0.015) were independent predictors of death in patients.

Conclusion

The ratio of PCT/SDI was a more valuable marker in predicting the 28-day prognosis in patients with SBP.

Management of Periprosthetic Joint Infections After Hemiarthroplasty of the Hip: A Critical Analysis Review

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Periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) following hip hemiarthroplasty (HA) is a devastating complication, incurring immense health-care costs associated with its treatment and placing considerable burden on patients and their families. These patients often require multiple surgical procedures, extended hospitalization, and prolonged antimicrobial therapy.

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Notable risk factors include older age, higher American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score, inadequate antibiotic prophylaxis, non-antibiotic-loaded cementation of the femoral implant, longer duration of the surgical procedure, and postoperative drainage and hematoma.

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Although the most frequent infecting organisms are gram-positive cocci such as Staphylococcus aureus, there is a higher proportion of patients with gram-negative and polymicrobial infections after hip HA compared with patients who underwent total hip arthroplasty.

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Several surgical strategies exist. Regardless of the preferred surgical treatment, successful management of these infections requires a comprehensive surgical debridement focused on eradicating the biofilm followed by appropriate antibiotic therapy.

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A multidisciplinary approach led by surgeons familiar with PJI treatment and infectious disease specialists is recommended for all cases of PJI after hip HA to increase the likelihood of treatment success.