Infection News

Peptilogics announced the FDA granted qualified infection disease product designation to PLG0206 for the treatment of prosthetic joint infections.

Although use of the alpha defensin lateral flow test was rapid and highly specific for diagnosing periprosthetic joint infection, results published in The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery showed it had limited sensitivity. Researchers recommend it should be used as a confirmatory test and not for screening.

Educating patients with hemophilia on the proper use of IV self-infusion may significantly reduce the risk of periprosthetic joint infection after joint replacement, according to results presented at the World Federation of Hemophilia Annual Meeting.

A validated, preoperative risk calculator identified several risk factors for the development of periprosthetic joint infection after total joint arthroplasty. These risk factors included prior surgical procedures and high-risk comorbidities, according to results published in The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery.

A 12-year-old boy with a past medical history of left iliac crest bone graft for pharyngoplasty/cleft palate repair performed 5 years prior to presentation arrived at our clinic with anterior left hip pain, which has been waxing and waning since the bone graft procedure. He denies any new or recent trauma. During the past month, he noted significant worsening of his pain. The pain was severe enough to keep him out of school for the past 2 weeks. When asked to localize the pain, he demonstrated the ‘C’ sign, cupping his lateral hip with his hand in a ‘C’ shape. He stated the pain does not radiate nor does he endorse mechanical symptoms. The pain is worse at night and it has now limited his weight-bearing to the point of needing crutches to ambulate. He has tried physical therapy (PT), NSAIDs and narcotics without relief of his symptoms. He denied any constitutional symptoms.

Pediatric patients undergoing growth-friendly surgery for non-idiopathic scoliosis experienced a decrease in gram-negative rod susceptibility to cefazolin and an increase in susceptibility to aminoglycosides, based on results presented at a meeting.

A 76-year-old African-American man presented to the ED after a fall from standing the day prior. His chief complaint was an inability to extend his right knee since the fall. He also reported some weakness he had experienced in his right leg for the past 3 weeks. Before the fall, he ambulated independently. He denied having any numbness or tingling in the affected extremity and any other injuries. His past medical history included hypertension, non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus and untreated herpes zoster (shingles) that involved the right leg 3 weeks prior to presentation. His surgical history was significant for right shoulder rotator cuff repair. He denied any recent travel history.

NEW ORLEANS — At the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Annual Meeting, Harry E. Rubash, MD, and Ebru Oral, PhD, spoke about a study that examined the use of rifampin and vancomycin-eluting ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene for treatment of infection. They found rifampin and vancomycin-eluting ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene are

Results published in the European Journal of Epidemiology showed one-stage revision total hip arthroplasty for treatment of periprosthetic joint infection was as effective as two-stage revision.

Every orthopaedic surgeon has faced infection during his or her career. Indeed, today, the use of orthopaedic implants is a common practice and millions of patients have had their lives changed with the help of these successful procedures. However, the encouraging results of joint arthroplasty and osteosynthesis are still associated with infection in a varying percentage, depending on the type of procedure and related risk factors. Infection of the bone is difficult and expensive to treat and may lead to tremendous suffering for the patient, mainly due to related bone loss.