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 13 October 2008 08:37 BST

New infection test for prosthetic joints

Thursday, 16 Aug 2007 17:40
The test could help people who have had a hip replacement
A new test has been developed which is more successful at detecting infection of prosthetic joints than previous methods, according to scientists.

The team from the US Mayo Clinic believe the new test could lead to better treatment options and patient outcomes.

Although most people who have hip or knee replacements experience dramatic benefits, some require additional surgery, most commonly due to infection of loosening of the joint.

Current methods for detecting infection sample tissue around the prosthetic joint at the time of surgery.

The new method instead samples bacteria that stick to the surface of the prosthetic surface.

It was trialled in 331 patients with prosthetic hip or knee joints who were having their prosthetic joints removed for infection or another cause.

The researchers found that the new diagnostic test detected more of the infected cases (78.5 per cent) than the conventional approach (60.8 per cent).

Different types of bacteria were also found by the new method.

"This is important to recognise because it is ideal for the doctors to know what type of infection they are dealing with in order to treat it properly – this determines what type of antibiotic to give, and in some cases, what type of surgery to perform," explained lead researcher Dr Robin Patel.

The findings are published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
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