A total of 51 studies were reviewed to compare the alpha-defensin enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and the lateral flow test for diagnosing joint replacement infections. Both tests are highly specific and accurately confirm infection, but ELISA showed greater sensitivity (87.8 % vs. 81.8 %), making it better for detection. These findings support the continued use of ELISA as the preferred diagnostic method.

Researchers in 2018 suggested guidelines to decide if a single surgery (one-stage exchange) could be used to treat a joint implant infection. We wanted to see how many patients met guidelines and if they had better outcomes. Very few patients with joint implant infections met guidelines for a single surgery. Also, being in good general health with a known cause of infection did not guarantee better results. This supports the need for a bigger study comparing one- and two-step treatments.

This study investigates the ability of a promising new antibiotic, dalbavancin, to be used as an antibiotic incorporated into polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) cement or other carriers (such as calcium sulfate) to treat bone and joint infections. For antibiotics to be used locally, they must retain their efficacy after heat exposure during PMMA polymerization and at human core body temperature. This study demonstrates that dalbavancin is stable at the temperatures required for local use.

The stoma for transcutaneous osseointegration carries a permanent source of bacterial ingress and infection. The value and role of intraoperative cultures to detect latent bacterial contamination or infection with targeted postoperative antibiotics has not been previously investigated. We compared two cohorts, 8 patients with unexpected positive cultures and 22 patients with negative intraoperative cultures, and found positive cultures do not appear to portend future infectious events.