The Chitranjan Ranawat Award: fate of two-stage reimplantation after failed irrigation and débridement for periprosthetic knee infection.
BACKGROUND
Irrigation and débridement is an attractive low morbidity solution for acute periprosthetic knee infection. However, the failure rate in the literature is high, averaging 68% (range, 61%-82%). Patients who fail subsequently undergo two-stage reimplantation after a prolonged period of illness. This leads to higher surgical risk and further delays in rehabilitation and may contribute to failure of subsequent revision surgery.


OBJECTIVE
We determined the rerevision rate due to infection after two-stage reimplantation performed for failed irrigation and débridement of infected TKA.


METHODS
We performed a multicenter retrospective review of periprosthetic knee infections treated with a two-stage procedure from 1994 to 2008. Selection criteria for the study included initial treatment with irrigation and débridement and subsequent two-stage revision surgery. Failure of two-stage revision was defined as the need for any additional surgery due to infection.


RESULTS
Of the 83 knees that had undergone previous irrigation and débridement, 28 (34%) failed subsequent two-stage revision and required reoperation for persistent infection.


CONCLUSIONS
The failure rate in this series of two-stage revisions for periprosthetic knee infection in patients treated with previous irrigation and débridement is considerably higher than previously reported failure rates of two-stage revision. Factors affecting the failure rate may include host quality, thoroughness of débridement, and organism virulence. Patients and surgeons must understand that irrigation and débridement, while initially attractive, may lead to high failure rates of subsequent two-stage reimplantation.


METHODS
Level III, therapeutic study. See the guidelines online for a complete description of level of evidence.
Sherrell
J Christopher
JC
Knoxville Orthopaedic Clinic, Knoxville, TN, USA.
Fehring
Thomas K
TK
Odum
Susan
S
Hansen
Erik
E
Zmistowski
Benjamin
B
Dennos
Anne
A
Kalore
Niraj
N
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D019645:Arthroplasty, Replacement, Knee / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000295:instrumentation; D001363:Awards and Prizes; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D003646:Debridement; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007719:Knee Joint / Q000601:surgery*; D007720:Knee Prosthesis / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016459:Prosthesis-Related Infections / Q000382:microbiology / Q000601:surgery*; D012086:Reoperation; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D007507:Therapeutic Irrigation; D013997:Time Factors; D017211:Treatment Failure; D014481:United States