Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcal periprosthetic joint infections can be effectively controlled by systemic and local daptomycin.

BACKGROUND

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus remains a serious problem in the treatment of periprosthetic joint infection (PJI). Higher failure rates were reported when vancomycin was used in 2-stage exchange arthroplasty. Therefore a better therapeutic drug is needed to treat PJI caused by methicillin-resistant organisms. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of daptomycin when administered in bone cement combined with systemic use for methicillin-resistant Staphylococci PJI.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective study from January 2010 to December 2012. Twenty-two patients (10 knees and 12 hips) with PJI caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus species underwent 2-stage revision arthroplasty. In the first stage, 10% daptomycin (weight daptomycin per weight bone cement) was incorporated into polymethylmethacrylate bone cement, and systemic daptomycin (6 mg/kg) was administered postoperatively for 14 days. In the second stage, 2.5% w/w daptomycin was used in the bone cement. The minimum follow-up was 2 years or until recurrence of infection.

RESULTS

The infecting organisms included methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in 10 patients, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis in 8 patients and methicillin-resistant coagulase-negative Staphylococci in 4 patients. The mean follow-up duration was 33.7 months (range, 24-51 months). The treatment success rate was 100%. Only one patient developed asymptomatic transient elevation of the creatine phosphokinase level. No patient experienced any adverse effects related to daptomycin such as myositis, rhabdomyolysis, peripheral neuropathy, derangement of liver function, or eosinophilic pneumonia.

CONCLUSIONS

In this series, no serious adverse events occurred. Our protocol, using daptomycin-impregnated cement combined with short duration of systemic daptomycin, appears to be an effective and safe treatment for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus PJI.