Periprosthetic infections of hip and knee joints are now treated by two-stage revision arthroplasty with an infection control rate of 91%. The present systematic review studied the reported incidence of acute kidney injury (AKI) and infection recurrence from January 1989 to June 2012 to assess the risk-benefit ratio of antibiotic spacer use. Ten observational studies (n = 544 patients) with clinical outcomes showed an average incidence of AKI of 4.8%. The average reported persistence or recurrence rate of infection was 11% during a follow-up period that ranged from 13 to 108 months. The risk-benefit ratio presently favors treatment although there appears to be higher complication rates and incidence of AKI than previously reported. Marked heterogeneity in practice and lack of detail in reporting precluded more robust quantitative synthesis. Clinicians need to be aware of the potential risk of AKI, particularly in high-risk patients; practice patterns for the use of antibiotic spacers need to be standardized. (C) 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The purpose of this study was to present national trends in primary total hip arthroplasty (THA) and bearing surface usage for patients 30 years and younger. Using the Healthcare-Cost-and-Utilization-Project Nationwide Inpatient Sample for the years 2006 to 2009, 8919 primary THA discharges (4454 coded by bearing surface) were identified in patients 30 years and younger. The most commonly used bearing surface was metal-on-metal (MoM), representing 37.6% of cases, followed by ceramic-on-ceramic (CoC) (24.6%), metal-on-polyethylene (MoP) (22.1%) and ceramic-on-polyethylene (15.7%). From 2006 to 2009, the percentage of THAs that used hard-on-hard bearing surfaces decreased (MoM: 42.9%-29.4%; CoC: 34.0%-19.7%).This decrease in hard-on-hard bearing surface usage presents a challenge for surgeons treating young patients to find other acceptable durable bearings that do not have the potential problems associated with MoM or CoC.

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