Epidemiology of complex bone and joint infections in France using a national registry: The CRIOAc network.

Objectives: In France, a network of reference centers for bone and joint infections (BJI) was created in 2008, focused on the management of complex BJI (previous failure, difficult-to-treat microorganisms, heavy comorbidities or surgical procedures). A national registry was implemented from 2012, collecting decisions advised in periodic multidisciplinary meetings. We present here an epidemiological overview.

Methods: All consecutive adult patients presented from 2014 to 2019 in 23/30 reference centers were included in this cohort. Characteristics of patients, BJI, and medico-surgical management advice were described.

Results: 27,483 individual patients were included, corresponding to 28,365 distinct infectious episodes, which 17,328 were complex. Median age was 65 years, with 62% of men, 1/3 patients presented more than 2 comorbidities. Prosthetic joint infections (PJI) represented 42% of all BJIs (11,812 episodes). Staphylococcus aureus, coagulase-negative staphylococci and polymicrobial PJI represented 26%, 25% and 16% respectively. DAIR (debridement, antibiotics and implant retention) was proposed for 3,157 (27%), whereas one-stage and two-stage revision for 3,683 (31%) and 1,764 (15%). An antibiotic treatment was advised in 10,493 episodes (87%), with combination therapy in 88%.

Conclusion: This national network allows an optimized management of complex BJIs. Its cohort is a unique opportunity to draw up a detailed epidemiological picture and to follow the trends of these infrequent infections.