Joint Infection After Hip Replacement Tied to Fivefold Higher Risk for Death Over 10 Years

MONDAY, Sept. 9, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) within one year of total hip arthroplasty is associated with a more than fivefold increased risk for mortality within 10 years, according to a study published online Sept. 4 in the Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery.

Raman Mundi, M.D., from the Sunnybrook Research Institute at the University of Toronto, and colleagues assessed the long-term mortality risk associated with PJI following total hip arthroplasty. The analysis included 175,432 patients (54.7 percent women) who underwent first primary elective total hip arthroplasty for arthritis between April 1, 2002, and March 31, 2021.

The researchers found that 0.49 percent of patients underwent surgery for a PJI of the replaced joint within one year after the index procedure. Patients with a PJI within the first year had a significantly higher 10-year mortality rate than matched peers (11.4 percent versus 2.2 percent without PJI; hazard ratio, 5.49).

“The results of this study build on previous evidence to help delineate the causal association between PJI and increased mortality risk,” the authors write. “These findings should help to bolster efforts related to the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of PJIs, which may be considered among the most important priorities for future musculoskeletal research.”

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