[Prosthetic joint infections by multi-drug resistant bacteria].

Prosthetic joint infections by multi-drug resistant bacteria are today one of the most important and complex problems in orthopedics and traumatology. Most important and frequent resistant bacteria involved in infection of total joint replacements include: methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, methicillin-resistant coagulase-negative staphylococci, vancomycin-resistant enterococci, multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter baumannii. There are several laboratory tests available, but none has been shown to achieve 100% of sensitivity and specificity. Treatment of a patient with infection by a resistant organism, requires costly and prolonged hospital stay, weeks or months of antibiotic therapy, and often multiple surgical procedures. Only a strictly cooperation between orthopedic surgeon and infectious disease specialist, before, during and after prosthetic joint procedure, could improve patient management.