Background: Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is a widely used technique, the purpose of which is to improve or eliminate knee pain produced by osteoarthritis. One of the most severe complications of primary TKA is periprosthetic joint infection (PJI). To reduce the risk of PJI, some surgeons use antibiotic-loaded bone cement (ALBC) in primary TKA, but others do not. In other words, the routine use of ALBC in primary TKA is controversial.
Objective: The purpose of this article is to perform a narrative review of recent literature with the aim of answering the following question: Does ALBC reduce the risk of PJI in primary TKA?
Methods: A Cochrane Library and PubMed (MEDLINE) search related to the role ALBC in primary TKA was analyzed. The only language searched was English. Scientific meeting abstracts and other sources of evidence were not considered. The main criteria for selection were articles that were focused on the role of ALBC in primary TKA.
Results: One meta-analysis concluded that the prophylactic application of ALBC is not effective in preventing PJI in primary TKA. Two systematic reviews stated that the ALBC does not reduce the prevalence of PJI in primary TKA, so they consider it an unnecessary expense for health systems. One of these systematic reviews concluded that hospital systems that perform 1000 primary TKA operations per year can save between $155,000 and $310,000 per year if they always use plain cement. A prospective study suggested that in patients with diabetes mellitus who are treated with primary TKA, cement impregnated with cefuroxime is effective in preventing PJI.
Conclusions: It is logical to recommend the cautious use of ALBC, perhaps only in patients at high risk of infection (immunocompromised, morbid obesity, diabetics, and patients with a history of fracture or infection around the knee).
Keywords: Total knee arthroplasty; antibiotic-loaded bone cement; periprosthetic joint infection; primary.