Abstract
Total hip arthroplasty (THA) is one of the most successful and effective treatments for advanced hip osteoarthritis (OA). Over the last 5 years, Canada has seen a 17.8% increase in the number of hip replacements performed annually, and that number is expected to grow along with the aging Canadian population. However, the rise in THA surgery is associated with an increased number of patients at risk for the development of an infection involving the joint prosthesis and adjacent deep tissue – periprosthetic joint infections (PJI). Despite improved hygiene protocols and novel surgical strategies, PJI remains a serious complication. No previous population-based studies has investigated PJI risk factors using a time-to-event approach and none have focused exclusively on patients undergoing THA for primary hip OA. The purpose of this study is to determine risk factors for PJI after primary THA for OA using a large population-based database collected over 15 years. Our secondary objective is to determine the incidence of PJI, the time to PJI following primary THA, and if PJI rates have changed in the past 15 years.
We performed a population-based cohort study using linked administrative databases in Ontario, Canada in accordance with RECORD and STROBE guidelines. All primary total hip replacements performed for osteoarthritis in patients aged 55 or older between January 1st 2002 – December 31st 2016 in Ontario, Canada were identified. Periprosthetic joint infection as the cause for revision surgery was identified with the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Edition (ICD-10), Clinical Modification diagnosis code T84.53 in any component of the healthcare data set.
Data were obtained from the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES).
Demographic data and outcomes are summarized using descriptive statistics. We used a Cox proportional hazards model to analyze the effect of surgical factors and patient factors on the risk of developing PJI. Surgical factors include the approach, use of bone graft, use of cement, and the year of surgery. Patient factors include sex, age at surgery, income quintile and rurality (community vs. urban). We compared the 1,2,5 and 10 year PJI rates for patients undergoing THA each year of our cohort with the Cochran-Armitage test. Less than 0.1% of data were missing from all fields except for rurality which was lacking 0.3% of data.
A total of 100,674 patients aged 55 or older received a primary total hip arthroplasty for osteoarthritis from 2002–2016. We identified 1034 cases of revision surgery for prosthetic joint infection for an overall PJI rate of 1.03%. When accounting for patients censored at final follow-up, the cumulative incidence for PJI is 1.44%. Our Cox proportional hazards model revealed that male sex, Type II diabetes mellitus, discharge to convalescent care, and having both hips replaced during one's lifetime were associated with increased risk of developing PJI following primary THA. Importantly, the time adjusted risk for PJI was equal for patients operated within the past 5 years, 6–10 years ago, or 11–15 years ago. The surgical approach, use of bone grafting or cement were not associated with increased risk of infection. PJI rates have not changed significantly over the past 15 years. One, two, five and ten-year PJI rates were similar for patients undergoing THA in all qualifying years.
Analysis of a population-based cohort of 100,674 patients has shown that the risk of developing PJI following primary THA has not changed over 15 years. The surgical approach, use of bone grafting or cement were not associated with increased risk of infection. Male sex, Type II diabetes Mellitus and discharge to a rehab facility are associated with increased risk of PJI. As the risk of PJI has not changed in 15 years, an appropriately powered trial is warranted to determine interventions that can improve infection rate after THA.
