The evolution from the two stage to the one stage procedure for biofilm based periprosthetic joint infections (PJI).

A definitive consensus on the optimal limb salvage protocol for infected total joints does not currently exist. Popular, is the two-stage revision which calls for the use of an antibiotic loaded spacer followed by a delayed exchange. Our question is whether single-stage revisions for biofilm based infected arthroplasties results in comparable or possibly better patient outcomes as compared to those reported for two-stage revisions.

Elution Profiles of Synthetic CaSO Hemihydrate Beads Loaded with Vancomycin and Tobramycin.

Backgrounds And Objectives: The use of local antibiotic delivery vehicles is common in the management of biofilm-related infections as they provide high concentrations of local antibiotics while simultaneously avoiding complications from systemic toxicity. We present a 100% pure synthetic calcium sulfate hemi-hydrate mixed with 240 mg tobramycin and 500 mg vancomycin per 10 cc mixture for use in revision surgeries of periprosthetic joint infections (PJIs). The purified carrier demonstrates bioabsorbablity, promotion of bone growth, a physiologically favorable pH, and hydrophilicity.

New methods for the detection of orthopedic and other biofilm infections.

The detection and identification of bacteria present in natural and industrial ecosystems is now entirely based on molecular systems that detect microbial RNA or DNA. Culture methods were abandoned, in the 1980s, because direct observations showed that <1% of the bacteria in these systems grew on laboratory media. Culture methods comprise the backbone of the Food and Drug Administration-approved diagnostic systems used in hospital laboratories, with some molecular methods being approved for the detection of specific pathogens that are difficult to grow in vitro.