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Review
. 2019 Feb;7(4):73.
doi: 10.21037/atm.2018.11.50.

Routine use of commercial antibiotic-loaded bone cement in primary total joint arthroplasty: a critical analysis of the current evidence

Assem A Sultan  1 , Linsen T Samuel  1 , Erica Umpierrez  1 , Andrew Swiergosz  1 , Jacob Rabin  1 , Bilal Mahmood  1 , Michael A Mont  1   2
Affiliations
Review

Routine use of commercial antibiotic-loaded bone cement in primary total joint arthroplasty: a critical analysis of the current evidence

Assem A Sultan et al. Ann Transl Med. 2019 Feb.

Abstract

Antibiotic-loaded cement (ABLC) has been widely utilized as an adjuvant treatment for patients with periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) but has also evolved to play a prophylactic role against infection in primary total joint arthroplasties (TJA). Nevertheless, there is currently a paucity of studies that systematically investigated this concept. This review aimed at answering the following questions: (I) Can routine use of ABLC help reduce the current infection rates in primary TJA? (II) What are the risks associated with this approach? And (III) can routine use be justified in primary TJA from an economic standpoint? Multiple databases were queried including PubMed, EMBASE, EBSCO Host, and SCOPUS. Studies published between January 1, 1990 and March 31, 2018 were reviewed. Inclusion criteria were studies reporting: (I) clinical outcomes of routine use of ABLC in primary hip and knee arthroplasty with 2-year minimum follow-up, (II) complications related to the use of ABLC, (III) cost of using ABLC. The final analysis included 24 studies. Data from multiple studies demonstrate contradictory results for infection rates when ABLC is used in all primary procedures with a majority of studies showing similar infection rates between ABLC and plain cement. The main concerns associated with routine use of ABLC are negative effects on the mechanical stability of cement, possible systemic and local toxicity of the absorbed antibiotic, and development of resistant bacterial strains. However, current literature has not clinically validated these concerns. Lastly, with an estimated increase in 117 million dollars with the routine use of ABLC in only 50% of TJAs performed each year, it is difficult to justify the use of ABLC without clear superiority in reducing infection. The use of ABLC has undeniably changed the way orthopaedic surgeons deal with PJI today. However, the large-scale, prophylactic use of ABLC in primary TJAs requires further research and justification.

Keywords: Antibiotic-loaded bone cement; adjuvant; infection; total joint arthroplasty.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interest: MA Mont: board or committee member of AAOS; paid consultant of Abbott, Cymedica, Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals, Pacira, Performance Dynamics Inc., Sage; paid consultant and research support of DJ Orthopaedics, Johnson & Johnson, Ongoing Care Solutions, Orthosensor, TissueGene; editorial or governing board of Journal of Arthroplasty, Journal of Knee Surgery; IP royalties of Microport; research support of National Institutes of Health (NIAMS & NICHD); editorial or governing board of Orthopedics, Surgical Techniques International; stock or stock options of Peerwell; IP royalties, paid consultant and research support of Stryker. The other authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow chart of selected studies in this review.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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