A Prolonged Post-Operative Antibiotic Regimen Reduced the Rate of Prosthetic Joint Infection after Aseptic Revision Knee Arthroplasty.

BACKGROUND

The aim of this study was to compare the prosthetic joint infection (PJI) rate after knee revision arthroplasty in two consecutive periods with different antibiotic prophylaxis: short (one day) versus long (five days).

METHODS

From January 2007 to September 2010 antibiotic prophylaxis consisted of 800 mg of teicoplanin and 2 g of ceftazidime intravenously and 1 g of ceftazidime two hours after the first dose. From October 2010, it was prolonged post-operatively using vancomycin and ceftazidime intravenously until the fifth day.

RESULTS

During the study period, 341 revision surgeries met the inclusion criteria. The PJI rate was lower in the long-prophylaxis group (2.2% versus 6.9%, p=0.049). Prolonged post-operative antibiotic treatment was the only variable associated independently with a lower rate of PJI (odds ratio [OR]: 0.27, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.07-0.99).