Evaluation of New Anti-Infective Drugs for the Treatment of Infections of Prosthetic Hip Joints

Infections of a prosthetic hip are of three types: acute contiguous, chronic contiguous, and hematogenous. Acute contiguous infections result from contamination of the operative field at the time of surgery; clinical manifestations of infection become apparent within 6 months. Chronic contiguous infections are diagnosed 6-24 months postoperatively and are believed to be caused by intraoperative contamination. Hematogenous seeding of prosthetic joints accounts for infections that develop > or = 2 years after surgery. Fever and pain or dysfunction of the joint may be the only signs or symptoms of prosthetic hip joint infection. Definitive diagnosis is established by culture of a needle aspirate from the joint space or by intraoperative culture. Prospective, randomized, double-blind or evaluator-blinded, active-control comparative studies are preferable to open trials. Success rates 10-14 weeks after completion of a 4- to 6-week course of antimicrobial therapy should be > or = 90%.