Michael Khazzam, M.D.
DALLAS – Oct. 31, 2022 – The astir communal bacterial corruption to hap aft revision enarthrosis arthroplasty country tin beryllium diagnosed much accurately by considering however rapidly samples of the microbe turn successful infirmary labs and the level of bacteria that grows, a survey partially performed astatine UT Southwestern shows.
The findings, reported successful the Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery, could pb to amended postoperative attraction for thousands of patients who necessitate follow-up country each twelvemonth for enarthrosis replacements, known arsenic enarthrosis arthroplasty revisions.
“Knowing which bacterial cultures are genuinely affirmative and which ones are not guides a surgeon connected what treatments a diligent should receive,” said survey co-author Michael Khazzam, M.D., Associate Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery and Chief of Shoulder Surgery astatine UT Southwestern. “Our survey suggests that clinicians should see utilizing a shorter clip to positivity and spot of positivity successful determining whether a insubstantial civilization illustration is simply a existent affirmative successful the mounting of enarthrosis arthroplasty revisions.”
A postoperative radiograph shows a revision reverse full enarthrosis arthroplasty.
Cutibacterium acnes infections aft enarthrosis arthroplasty revisions tin beryllium tricky to diagnose, Dr. Khazzam explained. Although immoderate patients amusement evident signs of infection, specified arsenic draining wounds astatine the surgical site, others person much subtle signs, specified arsenic symptom oregon stiffness. This bacterial taxon tin besides beryllium hard to turn successful the lab, requiring specialized media and prolonged increasing times – which tin effect successful disorder implicit whether affirmative oregon antagonistic diagnoses are genuine.
To amended mentation of C. acnes diagnoses, Dr. Khazzam and colleagues from 11 U.S. hospitals each were sent 12 unsighted samples to trial for the beingness of the bacterium. Ten were definite positives, with 5 samples apiece isolated from 2 patients who underwent enarthrosis arthroscopy revisions and diluted to antithetic bacterial concentrations. Two were definite negatives.
The researchers recovered that each of the affirmative samples astatine the 4 highest concentrations tested affirmative successful the lab, and astir 91% of the lowest attraction besides tested positive. In addition, astir 14% of the antagonistic samples tested affirmative for C. acnes.
When the researchers looked for factors to separate existent positives from mendacious positives, they recovered that the mean clip to a affirmative effect for each the known affirmative samples was astir 4 days, portion the clip for a affirmative effect from the known antagonistic samples was astir doubly arsenic long. In addition, the spot of positivity – a effect associated with the fig of bacteria increasing successful the laboratory – was importantly higher for the existent affirmative samples than for the mendacious positives derived from known antagonistic samples.
Dr. Khazzam and his colleagues suggest that surgeons support these factors successful caput erstwhile deciding whether to dainty patients for suspected C. acnes infections aft enarthrosis arthroplasty revisions.
“The shoulder work astatine UTSW performs immoderate of the highest measurement of superior and revision enarthrosis arthroplasty successful the country,” Dr. Khazzam said. “The results of this multicenter collaboration statesman the model of processing an evidence-based decision-making protocol for the attraction of these oftentimes hard enarthrosis problems.”
About UT Southwestern Medical Center
UT Southwestern, 1 of the nation’s premier world aesculapian centers, integrates pioneering biomedical probe with exceptional objective attraction and education. The institution’s module has received six Nobel Prizes, and includes 24 members of the National Academy of Sciences, 18 members of the National Academy of Medicine, and 14 Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigators. The full-time module of much than 2,900 is liable for groundbreaking aesculapian advances and is committed to translating science-driven probe rapidly to caller objective treatments. UT Southwestern physicians supply attraction successful much than 80 specialties to much than 100,000 hospitalized patients, much than 360,000 exigency country cases, and oversee astir 4 cardinal outpatient visits a year.