Published online by Cambridge University Press: 11 November 2016
Hip and knee arthroplasty infections are associated with considerable healthcare costs. The merits of reducing the postoperative surveillance period from 1 year to 90 days have been debated.
To report the first pan-Canadian hip and knee periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) rates and to describe the implications of a shorter (90-day) postoperative surveillance period.
Prospective surveillance for infection following hip and knee arthroplasty was conducted by hospitals participating in the Canadian Nosocomial Infection Surveillance Program (CNISP) using standard surveillance definitions.
Overall hip and knee PJI rates were 1.64 and 1.52 per 100 procedures, respectively. Deep incisional and organ-space hip and knee PJI rates were 0.96 and 0.71, respectively. In total, 93% of hip PJIs and 92% of knee PJIs were identified within 90 days, with a median time to detection of 21 days. However, 11%–16% of deep incisional and organ-space infections were not detected within 90 days. This rate was reduced to 3%–4% at 180 days post procedure. Anaerobic and polymicrobial infections had the shortest median time from procedure to detection (17 and 18 days, respectively) compared with infections due to other microorganisms, including Staphylococcus aureus.
PJI rates were similar to those reported elsewhere, although differences in national surveillance systems limit direct comparisons. Our results suggest that a postoperative surveillance period of 90 days will detect the majority of PJIs; however, up to 16% of deep incisional and organ-space infections may be missed. Extending the surveillance period to 180 days could allow for a better estimate of disease burden.
Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2017;38:147–153
Members of the Canadian Nosocomial Infection Surveillance Program: Alice Wong, Royal University Hospital, Saskatoon, SK; Allison McGeer, Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, ON; Andrew Simor, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, ON; Bonita Lee, Stollery Children’s Hospital, Edmonton, AB; Camille Lemieux, University Health Network, Toronto, ON; Caroline Quach, Montreal Children’s Hospital, Montreal, QC; Charles Frenette, McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, QC; Chelsey Ellis,The Moncton Hospital, Moncton, NB; Deanna Hembroff, University Hospital of Northern BC, Prince George, BC; Dominik Mertz, Hamilton Health Sciences Corporation, Hamilton, ON; Dorothy Moore, Montreal Children’s Hospital, Montreal, QC; Elizabeth Bryce, Vancouver Coastal Health Authority, Vancouver, BC; Elizabeth Henderson, Alberta Health Services, Calgary, AB; Geoffrey Taylor, University of Alberta Hospital, Edmonton, AB; Gerald Evans, Kingston General Hospital, Kingston, ON; Gregory German, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Charlottetown, PEI; Ian Davis, QEII Health Sciences Centre, Halifax, NS; Janice de Heer, Interior Health Authority, Kelowna, BC; Jessica Minion, Regina Qu’Appelle Health Region, Regina, SK; Joanne Embree, Health Sciences Centre, Winnipeg, MB; Joanne Langley, IWK.Health Centre, Halifax, NS; Jocelyn Srigley, Children and Women’s Hospital of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC; John Conly, Foothills Medical Centre, Calgary, AB; John Embil, Health Sciences Centre, Winnipeg, MB; Joseph Vayalumkal, Alberta Children’s Hospital, Calgary, AB; Karl Weiss, Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital, Montreal, QC; Kathryn Suh, The Ottawa Hospital, Ottawa, ON; Kevin Katz, North York General Hospital, Toronto, ON; Lynn Johnston, Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre, Halifax, NS; Marie-Astrid Lefebvre, Montreal Children’s Hospital, Montreal, QC; Mark Loeb, Hamilton Health Sciences Corporation, Hamilton, ON; Mary Vearncombe, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, ON; Michael John, London Health Sciences Centre, London, ON; Natalie Bridger, Eastern Health-HSC, St. John’s, NL; Nathalie Turgeon, CHUQ-Hôtel-Dieu, Québec, QC; Nisha Thampi, Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario, Ottawa, ON; Pamela Kibsey, Royal Jubilee Hospital, Victoria, BC; Paula Stagg, Western Memorial Hospital, Corner Brook, NL; Stephanie Smith, University of Alberta Hospital, Edmonton, AB; Susan Richardson, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON; Suzanne Pelletier, Health Sciences North, Sudbury, ON; Virginia Roth, The Ottawa Hospital, Ottawa, ON; Yves Longtin, SMBD-Jewish General Hospital, Montreal, QC.