Outcomes of Antibiotic-Impregnated Calcium Sulfate, Reamer-Irrigator-Aspirator, and Locked Intramedullary Static Spacer in the Treatment of Periprosthetic Joint Infection in the Multiply Revised and Infected Knee: A Single-Center Case Series

Background: Periprosthetic joint infection after total knee arthroplasty is commonly treated via 2-stage revision utilizing either articulating or static antibiotic cement spacers. While recent literature exhibits a slight functional advantage in favor of articulating spacers, those patients with a history of recurrent infection/multiple revision procedures are frequently excluded from these studies. The purpose of this study was to report infection eradication rates and efficacy of utilizing antibiotic-loaded locked intramedullary nail for infection for the multiply revised, infected total knee arthroplasty. Methods: A retrospective review was performed of all consecutive patients receiving static spacers between 2017 and 2020 at an academic medical center. Surgical techniques for all patients included irrigation and debridement using a reamer-irrigator-aspirator, injection of antibiotic-loaded calcium sulfate into the intramedullary canal, and nail placement. Antibiotic-loaded cement is then used to create a spacer block in the joint space. A Cox proportional hazard regression was run to identify risk factors for reinfection. Results: Forty-two knees in 39 patients were identified meeting inclusion criteria. Overall, there was an 68.8% infection eradication rate at an average of 46.9 months following spacer placement. The only risk factors identified on cox regression were increasing number of previous spacers, a surrogate for previous infections (hazards ratio = 14.818, P value = .021), and increasing operative time during spacer placement (hazards ratio = 1.014, P value = .039). Conclusions: Use of static spacers, in conjunction with reamer-irrigator-aspirator and antibiotic-loaded calcium sulfate, can be effective in treating chronic, complex periprosthetic joint infections in the setting of bone loss and or soft-tissue compromise and produced similar results to more simple infection scenarios.