Orthopedic Infectious Diseases Online Library

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  • Background Cutibacterium acnes can cause spinal implant infections. However, little is known about the optimal medical management and outcomes of C. acnes spinal implant infections (CSII). Our study aims to describe the management of patients with CSII and evaluate the clinical outcomes. Methods We performed a retrospective cohort study of patients aged 18 years or older who underwent spinal fusion surgery with instrumentation between January 1, 2011, and December 31, 2020, and whose intraoperative cultures were positive for C. acnes. The primary outcome was treatment failure based on subsequent recurrence, infection with another organism, or unplanned surgery secondary to infection. Results There were 55 patients with a median follow-up (interquartile range) of 2 (1.2–2.0) years. Overall, there were 6 treatment failures over 85.8 total person-years, for an annual rate of 7.0% (95% CI, 2.6%–15.2%). Systemic antibiotic treatment was given to 74.5% (n = 41) of patients for a median duration of 352 days. In the subgroup treated with systemic antibiotics, there were 4 treatment failures (annual rate, 6.3%; 95% CI, 1.7%–16.2%), all of which occurred while on antibiotic therapy. Two failures occurred in the subgroup without antibiotic treatment (annual rate, 8.8%; 95% CI, 1.1%–31.8%). Conclusions Our study found that the estimated annual treatment failure rate was slightly higher among patients who did not receive antibiotics. Of the 6 failures observed, 4 had recurrence of C. acnes either on initial or subsequent treatment failures. More studies are warranted to determine the optimal duration of therapy for CSII.

  • BACKGROUND CONTEXT Surgical site infections (SSI) following spine surgery are debilitating complications to patients and costly to the healthcare system. PURPOSE Review the impact and cost effectiveness of 5 SSI prevention interventions on SSI rates in an orthopedic spine surgery practice at a major quaternary healthcare system over a 10-year period. STUDY DESIGN Retrospective observational study. PATIENT SAMPLE All of the surgical patients of the 5 spine surgeons in our department over a 10-year period were included in this study. OUTCOME MEASURES SSI rates per year, standardized infection ratios (SIR) for laminectomies and fusions during the most recent 3-year period, year of implementation, and frequency of use of the different interventions, cost of the techniques. METHODS The SSI prevention techniques described in this paper include application of intrawound vancomycin powder, wound irrigation with dilute betadine solution, preoperative chlorhexidine gluconate scrubs, preoperative screening with nasal swabbing, and decolonization of S. aureus , and perioperative antibiotic administration. Our institution's infection prevention and control data were analyzed for the yearly SSI rates for the orthopedic spine surgery department from 2006 to 2016. In addition, our orthopedic spine surgeons were polled to determine with what frequency and duration they have been using the different SSI prevention interventions. RESULTS SSI rates decreased from almost 6% per year the first year of observation to less than 2% per year in the final 6 years of this study. A SIR of less than 1.0 for each year was observed for laminectomies and fusions for the period from 2013 to 2016. All surgeons polled at our institution uniformly used perioperative antibiotics, Hibiclens scrub, and the nasal swab protocol since the implementation of these techniques. Some variability existed in the frequency and duration of betadine irrigation and application of vancomycin powder. A cost analysis demonstrated these methods to be nominal compared with the cost of treating a single SSI. CONCLUSIONS It is possible to reduce SSI rates in spine surgery with easy, safe, and cost-effective protocols, when implemented in a standardized manner.

  • Study Design. Modified Delphi consensus process Objective. To establish a standardized, consensus-driven definition for postoperative spine infection (PSI) for research, diagnosis, and management. Summary of Background Data. Postoperative infection is a devastating and common complication following spine surgery. Rates of PSI in the literature range from 0% to over 20% depending on surgical indication and invasiveness. Despite the implications of PSI, there is no universally accepted diagnostic standard or consensus definition for infection following spine surgery, hindering research and treatment of this challenging clinical condition. Methods. A multispecialty workgroup convened by the Musculoskeletal Infection Society (MSIS) conducted a systematic literature review. Using data from the systematic review, an expert panel completed a modified Delphi process to achieve consensus. The panel included nine fellowship-trained, board-certified physicians with expertise in infectious diseases, orthopaedic and neurologic spine surgery, and musculoskeletal radiology. Iterative rounds focused on criterion selection, importance ranking, categorical grouping, and final constellation development for PSI diagnosis. Consensus was defined as a 2/3 majority, with a target of 100%. Results. The workgroup achieved 100% consensus on a new PSI definition, which incorporates six clinical domains: wound features, microbiology, imaging, inflammatory biomarkers, intraoperative findings, and histology. A single microbiological stand-alone criterion—identification of a phenotypically indistinguishable organism from two or more deep operative site specimens—was established as pathognomonic for postoperative spine infection. Additional primary and secondary supporting criteria were defined, with specific combinations required to classify cases as definite or probable PSI. Final definitions were ratified by the boards of MSIS and the European Bone & Joint Infection Society (EBJIS) Conclusion. This consensus-based definition provides a standardized framework for diagnosing postoperative spine infection, facilitating research and clinical management. The criteria balance sensitivity and specificity across diverse clinical scenarios and represent the first multispecialty, society-endorsed definition for PSI.

Last update from database: 12/28/25, 1:29 PM (UTC)