Craig Aboltins

Gram-negative prosthetic joint infection treated with debridement, prosthesis retention and antibiotic regimens including a fluoroquinolone

Information is required about treatment outcomes of Gram-negative prosthetic joint infections treated with prosthesis retention and surgical debridement, especially where biofilm-active antibiotics such as fluoroquinolones are used. The outcome of 17 consecutive patients with an early Gram-negative prosthetic joint infection who had been treated with prosthesis retention and surgical debridement was analysed. Enterobacteriaceae were isolated in 16 patients and infections were mixed with other organisms in 13 (76%) patients. The median joint age was 17 days and the median duration of symptoms before debridement was 7 days. All patients initially received intravenous β-lactam antibiotic therapy and 14 patients were then treated with oral ciprofloxacin. Treatment failure occurred in two patients over a median period of follow-up of 28 months. In only one patient was a relapsed Gram-negative infection responsible for the failure and this patient had not been treated with ciprofloxacin. The 2-year survival rate free of treatment failure was 94% (95% CI, 63-99%). Prosthesis retention with surgical debridement, in combination with antibiotic regimens including ciprofloxacin, was effective and should be considered for patients with early Gram-negative prosthetic joint infection.

Murray Valley encephalitis: a review of clinical features, diagnosis and treatment

Murray Valley encephalitis virus (MVEV) is a mosquito‐borne virus that is found across Australia, Papua New Guinea and Irian Jaya.

Outcome of Debridement and Retention in Prosthetic Joint Infections by Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococci, with Special Reference to Rifampin and Fusidic Acid Combination Therapy

ABSTRACT The management of prosthetic joint infections remains a clinical challenge, particularly infections due to methicillin-resistant staphylococci. Previously, this infection was considered a contraindication to debridement and retention strategies. This retrospective cohort study examined the treatment and outcomes of patients with arthroplasty infection by methicillin-resistant staphylococci managed by debridement and retention in conjunction with rifampin-fusidic acid combination therapy. Over an 11-year period, there were 43 patients with infection by methicillin-resistant staphylococci managed with debridement and retention. This consisted of close-interval repeated arthrotomies with pulsatile lavage. Rifampin was combined with fusidic acid for the majority of patients (88%). Patients were monitored for a median of 33.5 months (interquartile range, 20 to 54 months). Overall, 9 patients experienced treatment failure, with 12- and 24-month estimates of infection-free survival of 86% (95% confidence interval [CI], 71 to 93%) and 77% (95% CI, 60 to 87%), respectively. The following factors were associated with treatment failure: methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) arthroplasty infection, a single surgical debridement or ≥4 debridements, and the receipt of less than 90 days of antibiotic therapy. Patients with infection by methicillin-resistant coagulase-negative staphylococci (MR-CNS) were less likely to fail treatment. The overall treatment success rate reported in this study is comparable to those of other treatment modalities for prosthetic joint infections by methicillin-resistant staphylococci. Therefore, the debridement and retention of the prosthesis and rifampin-based antibiotic therapy are a valid treatment option for carefully selected patients.

Personal protective equipment and antiviral drug use during hospitalization for suspected avian or pandemic influenza.

In a pandemic, many current national stockpiles of PPE and antiviral medications are likely inadequate.

Early prosthetic hip joint infection treated with debridement, prosthesis retention and biofilm‐active antibiotics: functional outcomes, quality of life and complications

Patients treated for early prosthetic joint infection (PJI) with surgical debridement, prosthesis retention and biofilm‐active antibiotics, such as rifampicin or fluoroquinolones have a rate of successful infection eradication that is similar to patients treated with the traditional approach of prosthesis exchange. It is therefore important to consider other outcomes after PJI treatment that may influence management decisions, such as function, quality of life (QOL) and treatment‐associated complications.

Irrigation and Debridement

Delegates: Craig A. Aboltins, MD, Olivier Borens, MD, John J. Callaghan, MD, Pedro Ivo de Carvalho, MD, Yuhan Chang, MD, Pablo Corona, MD, Ferdinando Da Rin, MD, Silvano Esposito, MD, Thomas K. Fehring, MD, Xavier Flores Sanchez, MD, Gwo-Chin Lee, MD, J. Carlo Martinez-Pastor, MD, S.M. Javad Mortazavi, MD, Nicolas O. Noiseux, MD, Kuo-Ti Peng, MD, Harold Delano Schutte, MD, Daniel Schweitzer, MD, Rihard Trebse, MD, Eleftherios Tsiridis, MD, Leo Whiteside, MD

Clinical and inflammatory response to bloodstream infections in octogenarians

BackgroundGiven the increasing incidence of bacteraemia causing significant morbidity and mortality in older patients, this study aimed to compare the clinical features, laboratory findings and mortality of patients over the age of 80 to younger adults.MethodsThis study was a retrospective, observational study. Participants were taken to be all patients aged 18 and above with confirmed culture positive sepsis, admitted to a large metropolitan hospital in the year 2010. Measurements taken included patient demographics (accommodation, age, sex, comorbidities), laboratory investigations (white cell count, neutrophil count, C-reactive protein, microbiology results), clinical features (vital signs, presence of localising symptoms, complications, place of acquisition).ResultsA total of 1367 patient episodes were screened and 155 met study inclusion criteria. There was no statistically significant difference between likelihood of fever or systolic blood pressure between younger and older populations (p-values of 0.81 and 0.64 respectively). Neutrophil count was higher in the older cohort (p = 0.05). Higher Charlson (J Chronic Dis40(5):373–383, 1987) comorbidity index, greater age and lower systolic blood pressure were found to be statistically significant predictors of mortality (p-values of 0.01, 0.02 and 0.03 respectively).ConclusionThe findings of this study indicate older patients are more likely to present without localising features. However, importantly, there is no significant difference in the likelihood of fever or inflammatory markers. This study also demonstrates the importance of the Charlson Index of Comorbidities (J Chronic Dis40(5):373–383, 1987) as a predictive factor for mortality, with age and hypotension being less important but statistically significant predictive factors of mortality.

Current concepts in the management of prosthetic joint infection

Prosthetic joint infection (PJI) is a serious complication of arthroplasty that is associated with significant mortality, morbidity and costs. PJI is difficult to cure because causative bacteria form and persist in biofilm adherent to the prosthesis surface. PJI can be classified into early, delayed or late according to the time of onset after insertion of the prosthesis, and this classification can help determine pathogenesis and appropriate management. Traditional treatment has been with prolonged intravenous antibiotics and prosthesis exchange, which has been successful in treating infection but is technically difficult and has high rates of associated morbidity. On the basis of in vitro and animal studies, interest has turned to the use of antimicrobials that are particularly active against biofilm‐associated bacteria. Recent clinical evidence shows success in more than 77% of early PJI with surgical debridement, retention of prosthesis and the use of rifampicin‐based combinations for staphylococcal PJI. Fluoroquinolones are preferred for Gram‐negative PJI. Optimal antimicrobial treatment duration and the management of polymicrobial, enterococcal, fungal and culture‐negative infections are still yet to be defined but will become more clear as the results of current research comes to hand.

The Not-So-Good Prognosis of Streptococcal Periprosthetic Joint Infection Managed by Implant Retention: The Results of a Large Multicenter Study

Background. Streptococci are not an infrequent cause of periprosthetic joint infection (PJI). Management by debridement, antibiotics, and implant retention (DAIR) is thought to produce a good prognosis, but little is known about the real likelihood of success. Methods. A retrospective, observational, multicenter, international study was performed during 2003-2012. Eligible patients had a streptococcal PJI that was managed with DAIR. The primary endpoint was failure, defined as death related to infection, relapse/persistence of infection, or the need for salvage therapy. Results. Overall, 462 cases were included (median age 72 years, 50% men). The most frequent species was Streptococcus agalactiae (34%), and 52% of all cases were hematogenous. Antibiotic treatment was primarily using β-lactams, and 37% of patients received rifampin. Outcomes were evaluable in 444 patients: failure occurred in 187 (42.1%; 95% confidence interval, 37.5%-46.7%) after a median of 62 days from debridement; patients without failure were followed up for a median of 802 days. Independent predictors (hazard ratios) of failure were rheumatoid arthritis (2.36), late post-surgical infection (2.20), and bacteremia (1.69). Independent predictors of success were exchange of removable components (0.60), early use of rifampin (0.98 per day of treatment within the first 30 days), and long treatments (≥21 days) with β-lactams, either as monotherapy (0.48) or in combination with rifampin (0.34). Conclusions. This is the largest series to our knowledge of streptococcal PJI managed by DAIR, showing a worse prognosis than previously reported. The beneficial effects of exchanging the removable components and of β-lactams are confirmed and maybe also a potential benefit from adding rifampin.

Recurrent Mycobacterium haemophilum in a renal transplant recipient.

Mycobacterium haemophilum is a rare isolate of non‐tuberculous Mycobacterium which has been reported to affect immunocompromised patients. We report a case of a 32‐year‐old renal transplant patient with M. haemophilum infection initially involving his left sinus which was treated with appropriate antimicrobial therapy for thirteen months. Two weeks after cessation of antibiotics the infection rapidly recurred in his skin and soft tissues of his hands and feet. This case highlights the difficult diagnostic and therapeutic implications of atypical infections in transplant patients. To our knowledge this is the first reported case of relapsed M. haemophilum infection in a renal transplant recipient.