Prosthetic joint infections

A prosthetic joint infection (PJI) is a severe complication after arthroplasty. From the current thesis, three main conclusion can be drawn regarding diagnosis and treamtent of PJI. (a) Accurate self-monitoring of postoperative wounds after joint implantation helped elucidate the course of wound leakage and its association with acute prosthetic joint infections. (b) The collection of clinical data on different antimicrobial treatment strategies provided insight into the effectiveness of different treatment options for patients with a prosthetic joint infection. In this thesis, we report that personalized antimicrobial treatment for prosthetic joint infections is possible without compromising the effectiveness of treatment. (c) this thesis describes the role and importance of new anti-persister drugs against biofilm-associated infections. We developed a biofilm model that closely resembles the clinic of a prosthetic joint infection. Based on the results described in this thesis, future research will be aimed at better understanding the pathogenesis of biofilms. This should ultimately lead to better treatment options for patients with a prosthetic joint infection.