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Characteristics and outcome of 16 periprosthetic shoulder joint infections

  • Clinical and Epidemiological Study
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Abstract

Purpose

Shoulder arthroplasties are increasingly performed, but data on periprosthetic joint infections (PJI) in this anatomical position are limited. We retrospectively investigated the characteristics and outcome of shoulder PJI after primary arthroplasty from 1998 to 2010 in a single centre.

Methods

Periprosthetic joint infection was defined as periprosthetic purulence, presence of sinus tract or microbial growth. A Kaplan–Meier survival method was used to estimate relapse-free survival of prosthesis.

Results

From 1,571 primary shoulder prostheses, we evaluated 16 patients with a PJI at different stages, i.e, early (n = 4), delayed (n = 6) and late (n = 6) infections. The median patient age was 67 (range 53–86) years, and 69 % were females. The most commonly isolated microorganism was Propionibacterium acnes in 38 % of patients (monobacterial in four and polymicrobial in two patients). In 14 of the 16 patients, surgical interventions consisting of debridement and implant retention (6 patients), exchange (7) and explantation (1) were performed. Four patients had a relapse of infection with P. acnes (n = 3) or Bacteroides fragilis (n = 1). The relapse-free survival of the prosthesis was 75 % (95 % confidence interval 46–90 %) after 1 and 2 years, 100 % in six patients following the treatment algorithm for hip and knee PJI and 60 % in 10 patients not followed up. All but one of the relapses were previously treated without exchange of the prosthesis.

Conclusions

As recommended for hip and knee PJI, we suggest treating shoulder PJI with a low-grade infection by microorganisms such as P. acnes with an exchange of the prosthesis. Cohort studies are needed to verify our results.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Hans-Paul Wälchli Foundation, Lugano, Switzerland. We thank Mark E. Shirtliff for his helpful comments and for improving the English language.

Conflict of interest

Dr. H. K. Schwyzer received royalities from Smith and Nephew, Baar, Switzerland.

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Correspondence to Y. Achermann.

Additional information

After completion of the study, Y. Achermann relocated to the research laboratory of Mark E. Shirtliff, University of Maryland, Baltimore, USA.

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Achermann, Y., Sahin, F., Schwyzer, H. et al. Characteristics and outcome of 16 periprosthetic shoulder joint infections. Infection 41, 613–620 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s15010-012-0360-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s15010-012-0360-4

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