Patients with Prosthetic Joint Infection on IV Antibiotics are at High Risk for Readmission

Due to the rise in prosthetic joint implantations, prosthetic joint infections (PJI) are increasing. Most PJI are treated outside the hospital setting via community-based parenteral antiinfective therapy (CoPAT) after initial surgical management, although little is reported about the short-term complications of CoPAT. We therefore ascertained the numbers of unanticipated readmissions, unplanned surgeries, and CoPAT complications within 12 weeks of hospital discharge in patients with PJI on CoPAT. We retrospectively reviewed the charts of 74 patients with PJI. Twenty-seven (73% of readmitted patients) were for unanticipated reasons within 12 weeks of hospital discharge; 16 (43% of readmitted) underwent an unplanned surgery. Nine patients (12% of total cohort) had CoPAT-related adverse events. Our data suggest patients with PJI on CoPAT represent a complex cohort that needs to be monitored closely for complications early after hospital discharge. Level of Evidence: Level IV, therapeutic study. See Guidelines for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.