Translocation of Clostridial Infection as a Complication of Hip Arthroplasty in the Early Postoperative Period: Case Report

Abstract

Background. Periprosthetic joint infection in the early postoperative period is a severe infectious complication. Its development, as a rule, is associated with the exogenous surgical wound infection, with the iatrogenic factor at the forefront. Clinical case description. A 73-years-old female with left-sided idiopathic 3rd stage hip osteoarthritis and concomitant pathology with a high degree of comorbidity underwent left hip arthroplasty with a cement-fixed “Endoservice” endoprosthesis. In the early postoperative period (4th to 6th days), against the background of chronic calculous cholecystitis exacerbation and gastrointestinal dysfunction, clostridial septicemia developed as a result of bacterial translocation. The timely diagnosis of the endogenous nature of this infection and the targeted antibiotic therapy prevented the surgical wound and endoprosthesis infection. The Harris score for the function of the left hip at discharge was 78 points. Conclusion. The presented clinical case demonstrates the importance of careful preoperative planning, especially in the patient with identifying somatic pathology of infectious nature, the need to detail the organ-specific microbiota as a mandatory procedure, as well as the prevention of periprosthetic joint infection during orthopedic operations, taking into account the data obtained.

Keywords

• bacterial translocation
• clostridial infection
• <i>clostridium perfringens</i>
• hip arthroplasty