Ideal Timing of Reimplantation in Patients with Periprosthetic Knee Infection Undergoing 2-Stage Exchange

BACKGROUND: This study evaluated appropriate thresholds for serum biomarkers, synovial fluid white blood cell (SF-WBC) count, and synovial fluid neutrophil (polymorphonuclear leukocyte [PMN]) percentage to predict infection in a patient group who underwent definitive reimplantation after receiving a continuous course of antibiotic therapy for chronic knee periprosthetic joint infection (PJI). These thresholds were then used to generate a scoring system to predict recurrence (or persistence) of infection. METHODS: The study included 153 patients with a median age of 73 years (range, 46 to 91 years) who underwent 2-stage revision for chronic knee PJI. Staphylococci were identified at baseline in 107 (70%) of the patients. After the 96-week follow-up period, 12% (19) of the 153 patients had recurrence of the PJI. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to assess the predictive value of common serum biomarkers and SF aspiration before reimplantation, and the area under the curve (AUC) was evaluated. Variables that were significantly different between patients with and without infection recurrence were evaluated using a multivariable logistic regression model. A half-integer-point scoring system was created based on the final beta coefficients. RESULTS: Regarding the prediction of recurrent infection, a D-dimer level of >1110 ng/mL yielded a sensitivity of 74%, specificity of 61%, and AUC of 0.69; an SF-WBC count of >934 cells/µL showed a sensitivity of 68%, specificity of 90%, and AUC of 0.79; and an SF-PMN percentage of >52% showed a sensitivity of 73%, specificity of 90%, and AUC of 0.82. The beta coefficients were approximated to 1.5 for the D-dimer level and to 2 for the SF-WBC count and SF-PMN percentage. A total score of >2 was used to classify patients with a high risk of infection recurrence. The ability to discriminate infection recurrence was demonstrated by an AUC of 0.90 (95% confidence interval: 0.82 to 0.99). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with a score of >2 on our proposed scoring system based on serum biomarkers, SF-WBC count, and SF-PMN percentage should not undergo reimplantation, as they are at a high risk for recurrent PJI. Patients with a score of ≤2 can undergo definitive reimplantation with the lowest risk of recurrence. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Prognostic Level III . See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.