Building an Evidence Base for the Treatment of Periprosthetic Joint Infection Through International Collaboration,

Periprosthetic joint infections (PJIs) are associated with substantial morbidity, affecting between 1 and 2% of patients undergoing a primary joint arthroplasty and approximately 7% of patients undergoing an aseptic joint revision. Management of this condition typically requires prolonged hospital stays, multiple surgical procedures, and long-term antibiotic therapy. Such intensive management is associated with adverse mental health outcomes, reductions in overall quality of life, and high rates of morbidity. Despite being the focus of a growing body of clinical research, there have been few meaningful improvements in treatment outcomes for patients who had a PJI over the past 2 decades. Even with the best available treatment, one in 6 patients that contract a PJI will die within 5 years of diagnosis.