A second surgical debridement for acute periprosthetic joint infections should not be discarded

Abstract Background In acute periprosthetic joint infections (PJI), a second surgical debridement (DAIR) is generally not recommended after a failed first one. We identified the failure rate of a second DAIR and aimed to identify patients in whom an additional debridement might still be beneficial. Methods Patients with acute PJI of the hip or knee and treated with DAIR between 2006 and 2016 were retrospectively evaluated. A second DAIR was routinely performed provided that the soft tissue was intact. Failure of a second DAIR was described as: i) the need for additional surgical intervention to achieve infection control, ii) the need for antibiotic suppressive therapy due to persistent clinical and/or biochemical signs of infection or iii) PJI related death. Results From the 455 cases treated with DAIR, 144 cases underwent a second debridement (34.6%). Thirty-seven cases failed (37/144, 25.7%). The implant needed to be removed in 23 cases (23/144, 16%). Positive cultures during the second DAIR (OR 3.16 [95% CI 1.29–7.74]) and chronic renal insufficiency (OR 13.6 [95% CI 2.03–91.33]) were independent predictors for failure in the multivariate analysis. No difference in failure was observed between persistent infection with the same microorganism and reinfection with a new microorganism (failure rate 31.6% versus 34.6% resp., p 0.83). Conclusion A second DAIR had a low failure rate in our cohort of patients and the implant could be retained in the majority of them. Therefore, a second DAIR should not be discarded in acute PJIs.