Short-course antibiotics for prosthetic joint infections treated with prosthesis retention

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the significance of shortening the antibiotic treatment duration in prosthetic joint infections (PJI) treated with debridement, antibiotics and implant retention (DAIR). In April 2006 we shortened the total antibiotic treatment duration in total knee arthroplasty (TKA) PJIs from 6months to 3months and in total hip arthroplasty (THA) PJIs from 3months to 2months. All patients with TKA or THA PJI treated with DAIR between February 2001 and August 2009 were reviewed retrospectively. There were 132 patients treated with DAIR, of whom 86 (65%) completed the antibiotic therapy and were therefore eligible for comparison concerning the length of antibiotic treatment. There were 32 (37%) THA and 54 (63%) TKA PJIs in the comparison. The treatment succeeded in 34 (89.5%) patients treated with longer antibiotic treatment and in 42 (87.5%) of those treated with shorter antibiotic treatment (p0.78). Our conclusion is that if the patient completes the antibiotic therapy, treatment duration of 3months in TKA PJIs and 2months in THA PJIs is as good as longer antibiotic treatment of 6months or 3months, respectively, in patients treated with DAIR. © 2011 European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases.