Two-stage treatment of chronic staphylococcal orthopaedic implant-related infections using vancomycin impregnated PMMA spacer and rifampin containing antibiotic protocol.

To determine the clinical role of rifampin containing antibiotic combination and modified two-stage exchange arthroplasty with a vancomycin loaded polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) spacer for the treatment of orthopaedic implant related Staphylococcus epidermidis infections, a prospective study was initiated. A total of 10 patients, with a mean age of 59 years (range: 32 to 78 years) were included in the study. The mean follow up was 23.4 months (range: 16 to 36 months). Six patients had an infected hemiarthroplasty of the hip, three had infected total hip arthroplasty, and one had an infected femoral neck fracture with implant failure and pseudoarthrosis. All had culture-proven Staphylococcus epidermidis infections, six of the isolates were methicillin resistant. Following debridement and implantation of a PMMA spacer, a rifampin-vancomycin antibiotic protocol was initiated until the erythrocyte sedimentation rate and C-reactive protein levels were within normal limits. After reimplantation and discharge from the hospital, oral antibiotics with rifampin-ciprofloxacin were continued for three to six months. At the final follow-up none of the patients had any clinical or laboratory signs of infection. Although this study includes a limited number of patients and relatively short-term follow-up the results indicate that in the presence of orthopaedic implant infection with Staphylococcus epidermidis, modified two-stage exchange arthroplasty using a vancomycin-loaded PMMA spacer and a rifampin-containing antibiotic protocol may be beneficial.