Since the expanded war in Ukraine in 2022, explosives, mines, debris, blast waves, and other factors have predominantly caused injuries during artillery or rocket attacks. These injuries, such as those from shelling shrapnel, involve high-energy penetrating agents, resulting in extensive necrosis and notable characteristics like soft tissue defects and multiple fragmentary fractures with bone tissue defects and a high rate of infection complications caused by multi resistant gram-negative (MRGN) pathogens. We conducted a prospective study at our center between March 2022 and December 2023. Out of the 56 patients from Ukraine, 21 met the inclusion criteria who had severe war injuries were included in the study. Each of these patients presented with multiple injuries to both bones and soft tissues, having initially undergone treatment in Ukraine involving multiple surgeries. The diagnosis of infection was established based on the EBJIS criteria. Prior to our treatment patients had undergone multiple revision surgeries, including debridement, biopsies, implant and fixator replacement. Additionally, soft tissue management required previously VAC therapy and flap reconstruction for successful treatment.Introduction
Material and Methods
Periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) and periprosthetic fracture (PF) are one of the most devastating complications in arthroplasty. Each complication by itself is challenging to solve. Yet, simultaneously, both complications are inconceivably complex to deal with, while the treatment regimen of PJI and PF are contradictory. Chronic PJI most often requires implant removal, while PF requires stability, regularly achieved by stable osteosynthesis. This study aims to (1) analyse the success rate of PJI with following concomitant PF during the treatment course in total hip arthroplasties (THA) and (2) to determine the risk factors for reinfection and subsequent revision surgery after treatment of PJI and PF. This restrospective study analyzed 41 patients with concomitant PJI and PF during the PJI treatment period from 2013 to 2022 involving THA. Patients were divided in two cohorts termed success and failure and were statistically compared. The median follow-up time was 66 months (>12 months). All patients were considered individually and treated according to their individual needs in fracture and infection treatment. Re-arthroplasty survival was analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier method. Relevant risk factors were analyzed using the Mann-Whitney test or Chi-square, depending on the variable's scale.Aim
Method
Bone and joint infections cause significant morbidity, often requiring combination medical and surgical treatment. The presence of foreign material reduces the number of organisms required to cause an infection. The aim of this study was to assess whether there was a difference in the species of organism identified on culture in osteomyelitis compared to prosthetic joint infection. This was a retrospective observational cohort study of patients that had surgical intervention for prosthetic joint infection or osteomyelitis with positive microbial culture between 2019 and 2022. Data including patient demographics, site of injury, BACH score for osteomyelitis and JS-BACH score for prosthetic joint infection, organism classification and antibiotic resistance to vancomycin and gentamicin were extracted from the medical record. Logistic and multiple regressions were used to adjust for potential confounding variables.Aims
Method
Decubitus ulcers are found in approximately 4.7% of hospitalized patients, with a higher prevalence (up to 30%) among those with spinal cord injuries. These ulcers are often associated with hip septic arthritis and/or osteomyelitis involving the femur. Girdlestone resection arthroplasty is a surgical technique used to remove affected proximal femur and acetabular tissues, resulting in a substantial defect. The vastus lateralis flap has been employed as an effective option for managing this dead space. The aim of this study was to evaluate the long-term outcomes of this procedure in a consecutive series of patients. A retrospective single-center study was conducted from October 2012 to December 2022, involving 7 patients with spinal cord injuries affected by chronic severe septic hip arthritis and/or femoral head septic necrosis as a consequence of decubitus ulcers over trochanter area. All patients underwent treatment using a multidisciplinary approach by the same surgical team (orthopedic and plastic surgeons) along with infectious disease specialists. The treatment consisted of a one-stage procedure combining Girdlestone resection arthroplasty with unilateral vastus lateralis flap reconstruction, alongside targeted antibiotic therapy. Complications and postoperative outcomes were assessed and recorded. The mean follow-up period was 8 years (range 2-12).Aim
Method
Diagnosis of prosthetic joint infection are often complicated by the presence of biofilm, which hampers bacteria dislodging from the implants, thus affecting sensitivity of cultures. In the last 20 years several studies have evidenced the usefulness of implant sonication to improve microbial recovery from biofilm formed on inert substrates. More recently, treatment of prosthetic joints and tissues with Dithiothreitol, a sulphur compound already used in routine diagnostic workflow for fluidification of respiratory samples, has proved to be not inferior to sonication in microbiological diagnosis of prosthetic joint infections. This study aimed to evaluate if the combination of the two treatments could further improve microbial retrieval from biofilm in an in vitro model. Three isolates of One-way ANOVA analysis was performed to evidence statistical differences between treatments.Aim
Method
The primary objective is to evaluate the diagnostic performance of inoculating homogenized tissue and bone biopsies in blood culture bottles (BCB) for patients with (suspected) orthopaedic device-related infections. As secondary objective the time to positivity (TTP) of BCB and Wilkins-Chalgren broth (conventional method) will be evaluated. Patients undergoing revision surgery due to suspected or proven fracture-related infection (FRI) or periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) according to respectively Consensus definition and EBJIS definition are included.1,2 A minimal of three macroscopic infected/inflamed tissue/bone samples are collected in a container with saline and glass beads. 1.5 mL of the homogenized suspension is inoculated in BacT/ALERT FA and FN Plus bottles for 14 days. The remaining suspension is inoculated in Wilkins-Chalgren broth for 10 days and subcultured when cloudy or after 10 days. TTP is defined as the time until definite identification of the pathogen in the Laboratory Information System.Aim
Method
Periprosthetic joint infections follow 1-3% of arthroplasty surgeries, with the biofilm nature of these infections presenting a significant treatment challenge1. Prevention strategies include antibiotic-loaded bone cement; however, increases in cementless procedures means there is an urgent need for alternative local antimicrobial delivery methods2. A novel, ultrathin, silica-based sol-gel technology is evaluated in this research as an anti-infective coating for orthopaedic prosthetic devices, providing local antibiotic release following surgery. Reduction in clinically relevant microbial activity and biofilm reduction by antimicrobial sol-gel coatings, containing a selection of antibiotics, were assessed via disc diffusion and microdilution culture assays using the Calgary biofilm device3. Proliferation, morphology, collagen, and calcium production by primary bovine osteoblasts cultured upon antibiotic sol-gel surfaces were examined, and cytotoxicity evaluated using Alamar blue staining and lactate dehydrogenase assays. Concentrations of silica, calcium and phosphorus compounds within the cell layer cultured on sol-gel coatings and concentrations eluted into media, were quantified using ICP-OES. Furthermore, cellular phenotype was assessed using alkaline phosphatase activity with time in culture.Aim
Method
Periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) is one of the most serious and frequent complications in prosthetic surgery. Despite significant improvements in the criteria for diagnosis of PJI, the diagnostic workflow remains complex and, sometimes, inconclusive. Host immune factors hold great potential as diagnostic biomarkers in bone and joint infections. We have recently reported that the synovial concentration of the humoral pattern recognition molecule long pentraxin 3 (PTX3) is a sensitive and specific marker of PJI in total hip and knee arthroplasty patients (THA and TKA) undergoing revision surgery [1]. However, the contribution to risk and diagnosis of PJI of the genetic variation in A case-control retrospective study was conducted on an historic cohort of patients that received THA or TKA revision and were diagnosed with PJI (cases) or aseptic complications (controls) [1]. Samples of saliva were collected from 93 subjects and used for extraction of genomic DNA to perform genotyping of the Aim
Method
Periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) is a devasting complication after total hip arthroplasty. Joint aspiration and preoperative biopsy can be helpful diagnostics for PJI. The aim of this study is to evaluate the diagnostic value of preoperative biopsies after inconclusive or dry tap aspiration of the hip in patients undergoing revision hip arthroplasty. Secondarily we will evaluate the diagnostic value of synovial fluid aspiration cultures and peroperative tissue cultures for diagnosing or ruling out PJI. Patients who underwent diagnostic aspiration and subsequent preoperative biopsy and/or revision surgery between January 2015 and January 2024 were included in the study. Synovial fluid aspirations and tissue samples obtained from biopsy and revision surgery were interpreted using the European Bone and Joint Infection Society criteria for PJI and in close consultation with the microbiologist.Aim
Methods
There is limited data on the frequency and impact of untoward events such as glove perforation, contamination of the surgical field (drape perforation, laceration, detachment), the unsterile object in the surgical field (hair, sweat droplet…), defecation, elevated air temperature…that may happen in the operating theatre. These events should influence the surgical site infection rate but it is not clear to what extent. We wanted to calculate the frequency and measure the impact of these events on the infection and general revision rate. In our institution, scrub nurses prospectively and diligently record untoward events in the theatres. We have an institutional implant registry with close to 100% data completion since 2001, and surgeons register complications before discharge. We analysed the respective databases and compared the revision and infection rate in the group with untoward events with the outcome of all arthroplasty patients within the same period. Two-tailed Z statistical test was used for analysis.Aim
Method
Bone infections often manifest with soft tissue complications such as severe scarring, fistulas, or ulcerations. Ideally, their management involves thorough debridement of infected bone and associated soft tissues, along with achieving stable bone structure, substantial tissue coverage, and long-term antibiotic therapy. The formation of a multidisciplinary team comprising orthopedic surgeons, plastic surgeons, and infectious disease specialists is essential in addressing the most complex cases. We conducted a retrospective study during six years (2018-2023) at our university center. Focusing on the most challenging cases, we included patients with bone infections in the leg and/or foot requiring free flap reconstruction. Each patient underwent simultaneous bone debridement and reconstruction by the orthopedic team, alongside soft tissue debridement and free flap reconstruction by the plastic surgery team. Targeted antibiotic therapy for either 6 weeks (acute) or 12 weeks (chronic osteitis) was initiated based on intraoperative cultures. Additional procedures such as allografts, arthrodesis, or autografts were performed if necessary. We analyzed the rates of bone union, infection resolution, and limb preservation.Aim
Method
Postoperative dislocation is one of the main surgical complications and the primary cause for revision surgery after 2-stage implant exchange due to periprosthetic infection of a total hip arthroplasty. The aims of our study were (1) to determine the incidence of dislocation after two-stage THA reimplantation without spacer placement, (2) to evaluate relevant risk factors for dislocation and (3) to assess the final functional outcome of those patients.Background
Objective
Aim
Method
Prosthetic joint infections (PJI) are a common reason for revisions in patients that underwent total arthroplasty of the hip (THA) or knee (TKA). Extensive antibiotic treatment follows while a clear understanding of target site concentrations is lacking. The aim is to investigate the target site concentrations, like bone and synovial tissue concentrations, which consequently may lead to an optimisation of the dosing regiments of cefuroxime of PJI patients suffering from pain and immobility. Dosing optimisation may lead to a reduced risk of (re-)infection and adverse effects like renal-insufficiency and therefore lower health-care costs. Patients (n=26) with PJI of hip or knee undergoing a one- or two-stage revision treated with cefuroxime were included as part of the ASTERICS study. During implant removal two samples were collected 15-30 and 60-120 minutes after IV infusion of plasma, bone tissue and synovial tissue and one synovial fluid sample. Samples were analysed using a UltraPerformance Convergence Chromotography – quadruple mass spectrometry system (UPC2-MS/MS). Bone tissue and synovial tissue were pulverized before analysis acquiring for bone tissue a homogenate of cortical and cancellous bone. Using nonlinear mixed effect modelling (NONMEM) a base model was developed to analyse the bone to plasma ratio of cefuroxime in osteomyelitis patients.Aim
Method
Antibiotic prophylaxis is central in preventing postoperative spine infections, yet knowledge of clinical spine tissue antibiotic concentrations remains limited. Pooled postoperative spine infection rates are constant (approximately 3%), resulting in severe patient morbidity, mortality, and prolonged hospitalization. Current antibiotic dosing regimens often involve fixed doses based on empirical knowledge, surrogate measures (plasma samples), non-clinical evidence (experimental models), and inferior methodology (tissue specimens). Therefore, personalized antibiotic dosing may be the future of antibiotic prophylaxis to prevent postoperative infections, especially implant infections. The aim was to continuously evaluate intra- and postoperative cefuroxime target spine tissue concentrations in long-lasting spine surgery after personalized dosing by repeated weight-dosed intravenous administrations. Twenty patients (15 female, 5 male) scheduled for long-lasting spine deformity surgery with hypotensive anaesthesia were included; median age (range): 17.5 years (12-74), mean BMI (range): 22.2 (16.2-37.7), and mean surgery time (range): 4h 49min (3h 57min-6h 9min). Weight-dosed cefuroxime (20 mg/kg) was administered intravenously to all patients on average 25 min before incision and repeated after 4 hours. Microdialysis catheters were placed for sampling of cefuroxime concentrations in vertebral bone (only intraoperative sampling), paravertebral muscle, and subcutaneous tissue as soon as possible after surgery start. Upon wound closure, two additional catheters were placed in the profound and superficial part of the wound. Microdialysis and plasma samples were obtained continuously intra- and postoperative for up to 12 hours. The primary endpoint was (based on cefuroxime time-dependent efficacy) the time with cefuroxime concentrations above the clinical breakpoint minimal inhibitory concentration for patients’ individual surgery time, first dosing interval (0-4 hours), second dosing interval (4-12 hours).Aim
Method
Diagnosing low-grade periprosthetic joint infections (PJI) can be very challenging due to low-virulent microorganisms capable of forming biofilm. Clinical signs can be subtle and may be similar to those of aseptic failure. To minimize morbidity and mortality and to preserve quality of life, accurate diagnosis is essential. The aim of this study was to assess the performance of various diagnostic tests in diagnosing low-grade PJI. Patients undergoing revision surgery after total hip and knee arthroplasty were included in this retrospective cohort study. A standardized diagnostic workup was performed using the components of the 2021 European Bone and Joint Infection Society (EBJIS) definition of PJI. For statistical analyses, the respective test was excluded from the infection definition to eliminate incorporation bias. Receiver-operating-characteristic curves were used to calculate the diagnostic performance of each test, and their area-under-the-curves (AUC) were compared using the z-test.Aim
Methods
Efficacious antibiotic treatment is crucial for managing and preventing orthopedic infections due to their complexity and associated risk of treatment failure. Previous reviews on antibiotic target tissue concentrations have primarily focused on static measurements, which may not accurately reflect the dynamic pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) changes encountered in clinical settings. This review aimed to summarize the current literature on antibiotic distribution in orthopedically relevant tissues and settings using dynamic sampling methods. In accordance with PRISMA guidelines, a literature search was conducted with a scientific librarian's assistance. PubMed and Embase databases were systematically searched using relevant MeSH terms, entries, and keywords. English-published studies between 2004 and 2023 involving systemic antibiotic administration and dynamic measurements were included. 4467 titles were identified. After title and abstract screening, 77 eligible studies remained.Aim
Method
We prospectively evaluated four different microbiological tools for diagnostics of prosthetic joint infections (PJI), and assessed their impact on the categorization of infection according to EBJIS guidelines. We compared culture, in-house real-time mPCR for A total of 341 samples (sonication fluid, tissue biopsy, synovial fluid) were collected from 32 patients with suspected PJI who underwent 56 revision surgeries at the Orthopaedic Centre University Hospital Ljubljana, between 2022 and 2024. Samples were processed using standard protocols for routine culture, followed by DNA isolation using the MagnaPure24 (Roche). All samples were tested with mPCR, and an additional ≥4 samples from each revision (244 in total) were subjected to further metagenomic analysis. Culture results were considered positive if the same microorganism was detected in ≥2 samples, ≥50 CFU/ml were present in the sonication fluid, or ≥1 sample was positive for a more virulent microorganism or if the patient had received antibiotic treatment.Aim
Methods
Swedish guidelines on antibiotic prophylaxis in arthroplasty surgery recommend cloxacillin in fixed doses that pay little attention to the patient's renal function and weight. Nevertheless, there are no studies on whether the resulting free prophylactic cloxacillin We performed a prospective two-centre study, measuring the free (active) cloxacillin concentrations in plasma throughout surgery, in patients subject to primary hip and knee prosthetic joint replacements, aiming at 100 patients per centre. To account for plasma-bone exposure differences, concentrations were considered adequate if twice the epidemiological cut-off value for cloxacillin concerning wild type Aim
Method
This study aimed to evaluate the impact of intraoperative direct sonication on the yield of traditional culture and the time to positivity (TTP) of cultures obtained for periprosthetic joint infection (PJI), thereby assessing its potential to improve diagnostic efficiency and reduce contamination risk. A prospective cohort study was conducted at a tertiary care center, involving 190 patients undergoing revision surgery for PJI from August 2021 to January 2024. Patients were included based on the 2018 International Consensus Meeting definition of PJI. The study utilized a novel sonication protocol, which involved direct intraoperative sonication of the implant and tissue, followed by incubation in a BACT/ALERT 3D system. The primary outcomes measured were the number and percentage of positive culture samples, identified microorganisms, and the TTP of each culture. Statistical analysis was performed using R software, with various tests applied to assess the significance of findings.Aim
Method