Outcome of debridement, antibiotics and implant retention for streptococcal hip and knee prosthetic joint infections: A systematic review and meta-analysis

PROSPERO registration ID

367411

Objectives

This systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to assess the outcome of streptococcal hip and knee prosthetic joint infection (PJI) treated with Debridement, Antibiotics and Implant Retention (DAIR) and to evaluate risk factors associated with failure.

Methods

We conducted a systematic literature search on PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane library from inception until October 2021. Random effects meta-analyses (i.e. relative risk) were used to estimate the success rate at the study level and its association with possible risk factors for failure with a specific focus on the use of rifampicin.

Results

25 observational studies were included, incorporating 1367 patients with streptococcal PJIs treated with DAIR. An overall pooled success rate of 71% (95% confidence interval (95%CI) 64–77%) was found for streptococcal PJI treated with DAIR. Treatment success was 76% (95%CI 62% to 91%) for knee PJI and 58% (95%CI 52% to 65%) for hip PJI. Treatment success differed for patients receiving rifampicin (84%, 95% CI 78% to 90%) compared to patients not receiving rifampicin (74%, 95% CI 63% to 85%), but this effect was no longer present in subsequent meta-analyses.

Conclusions

The meta-analysis showed no clear benefit for rifampicin administration after DAIR for streptococcal PJI. Better outcome was observed for knee PJI compared to hip PJI.