Bacterial (septic) arthritis and prosthetic joint infection

Bacterial arthritis (BA) and prosthetic joint infection (PJI) are very relevant problems under current conditions. BA and PJI are responsible for 0.2-0.7% of all hospital admissions per year. The increase in the number of endoprosthesis replacements is accompanied by the rising number of patients with periprosthetic infection. The frequency of fatal outcomes in patients with BA and PJI has not changed significantly over the past 25 years and amounts to 5-15%. The lecture gives an update on the etiology, pathogenesis, clinical presentations, diagnosis, and treatment of the above nosological entities. Emphasis is placed on the importance of a comprehensive approach to treating PJI, which involves a combination of surgery and etiotropic antibacterial therapy.