Prosthetic joint infections Infecciones en prótests articulares

Abstract

A retrospective study was performed to characterize hip and knee prosthetic joint infections. Cases were identified from discharge records available from 1993. Nineteen prosthetic joint infection episodes were identified among 18 patients. Global infection rate was 2,84% among 633 implants with 1,11% presenting as nosocomial infections. Seventy percent of the episodes appeared during the first 18 months from surgery. Patient's mean age was 70,5 years and most of the patients were female (83%). Only 3 patients suffered from rheumatoid arthritis and were using steroid at the same time of infection. Cultures were positive in all but one patient, being Staphylococci and Gram negative bacilli predominating genus (49% and 37%, respectively). In 12 patients prosthesis was removed (63%). Survival without relapses was better in those patients that were managed surgically during the first month of admission (100% without relapses versus 15% among patients managed medically during the first month