Surgical management of arthroplasty device infections

The most commonly employed orthopaedic surgical strategies are exchange arthroplasty and debridement and implant retention (DAIR), both of which have curative intent. While exchange arthroplasty is effective for all classifications of arthroplasty device infections, appropriate patient selection is crucial to clinical success with DAIR (see Patient selection for DAIR).

In selected cases where the joint cannot be salvaged, excision of the arthroplasty device or amputation may be required for cure of infection.