Recent  

We assessed concordance of in-house guidelines for diagnostic principles and antibiotic treatment duration (ABT) 2 years after their implementation. The goal was to standardize diagnostic and treatment principles: are we doing what we recommend? The adherence to recommendations in terms of biopsy sampling was good, moderate for histopathology and poor for anatomic labeling. In terms of ABT duration, the adherence was good, but further shortening for surgically cured cases is necessary. 

In recent years, there has been an increase in scientific production on native vertebral osteomyelitis (NVO), a condition whose incidence is rising and that can be highly detrimental to health. However, there is no consensus on the definition of this syndrome in the medical community. Therefore, we propose a new framework to synthesize the diagnostic tools at our disposal. This can help to advance research further and guide patient care more effectively.

The article examines a unique case of Ureaplasma urealyticum causing osteomyelitis in the greater trochanter of a 26-year-old male treated with ocrelizumab for multiple sclerosis. It emphasizes the necessity of a multidisciplinary approach and advanced PCR diagnostics to manage such rare opportunistic infections effectively, highlighting the challenges faced due to the immunosuppressive nature of monoclonal antibody therapies of this kind. 

This survey study describes the composition of US-based orthopedic infectious diseases (Ortho ID) teams across more than a dozen large academic medical centers, finding many institutions have dedicated Ortho ID clinics or inpatient services. These teams are highly valued by both ID clinicians and surgeons for engendering strong multidisciplinary relationships and improving patient outcomes.

Some patients with an infection of their orthopedic implant use lifelong daily antibiotics. Our research, however, suggests that it might be safe to stop after 2 to 3 years. Furthermore, we found that it is probably safe to use a lower dosage of antibiotics than normally used for these infections. We performed this study by retrospectively analyzing electronic patient files from all patients we treated in our hospital with suppressive antibiotics.

The role of long-term antibiotics after debridement, antibiotics, and implant retention (DAIR) for periprosthetic joint infections is unclear. Patients with eventual cessation of antibiotics had similar outcomes to those who remained on chronic antibiotic suppression (failure rate of 11 % for both groups). This study importantly highlights a potential opportunity to prevent unnecessary antibiotic use and spare patients from the risk of side effects and development of resistant organisms. 

This study investigates sex-related differences in periprosthetic Joint Infections (PJIs) after total joint arthroplasty. A systematic review of nine studies reveals a higher risk of infectious complications in males compared to females, as indicated by statistically significant findings in half of the studies. This underscores the need for ongoing sex-related analysis to enhance evidence and insights in the field of PJIs.

Reported success rates of the different surgical options to treat periprosthetic infection vary in the literature. However, these rates rely on how authors define success. The goal of this study was to determine the most commonly used definitions of success based on a classification system published by the Musculoskeletal Infection Society. We found most studies did not use the strictest definitions of success, and success rates decreased when stricter definitions were used. 

A retrospective study on 13 patients treated with linezolid-loaded spacers for bone and joint infections revealed that 9 patients achieved successful limb salvage and remained infection-free after an average follow-up of 55.5 months. Linezolid-loaded bone cement is a viable option for managing chronic bone and joint infections, especially in patients with vancomycin allergy.