No abstract

The pace of the aging population is steadily rising worldwide with a parallel increase in the demand for joint replacement procedures. With the increasing number of patients undergoing arthroplasty, there is also an increased risk for arthroplasty infection that may lead to severe complications, poorer outcome, and substantial extra costs for health care systems. Current rates of prosthetic joint infection are not dramatically different from the 1960s or 1970s, but some general principles are now better defined, and their management has been studied extensively during the past decades, thus resulting in a change in clinical practice. The purpose of this review is to summarize important principles of prosthetic joint infection to guide the clinician and to contribute to the optimal diagnosis, prevention, and management of periprosthetic joint infections.