Antibiotic treatment of postoperative spinal implant infections

Postoperative spinal implant infection (PSII) is a serious complication after spinal surgery. It is associated with increased morbidity and mortality for affected patients as well as significant costs for the healthcare system. Due to the formation of biofilm on foreign material, both diagnosis and treatment of PSII can pose a considerable challenge. Modern treatment protocols allow efficient eradication and good clinical outcomes in the majority of patients. In this article, we review the current antibiotic treatment concepts for PSII including the correct choice of antibiotics and their combination. In cases of late-onset PSII where the implants can be removed, two weeks of intravenous (IV) antibiotics followed by 4 weeks of oral antibiotics seem appropriate. If the implant needs to be retained, a 2-week IV antibiotic treatment should be followed by 10 weeks of oral antibiotic therapy with biofilm activity or, in case of problematic pathogens, a long-term suppression therapy. Initial empiric antibiotic therapy should cover staphylococci, streptococci, enterococci and Gram-negative bacilli as the most common pathogens. Antibiotic adjustments according to the type of pathogen and its antimicrobial susceptibility are essential for successful eradication of infection.