Characterization of hip and knee arthroplasties and factors associated with infection.

OBJECTIVE: To characterize arthroplasty procedures, calculate the surgical infection rate and identify related risk factors.

METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study. Data on operations performed between 2010 and 2012 were gathered from documental sources and were analyzed with the aid of statistical software, using Fisher's exact test, Student's t test and the nonparametric Mann-Whitney and Wilcoxon tests.

RESULTS: 421 total arthroplasty procedures performed on 346 patients were analyzed, of which 208 were on the knee and 213 on the hip. It was found that 18 patients (4.3%) were infected. Among these, 15 (83.33%) were reoperated and 2 (15.74%) died. The prevalence of infection in primary total hip arthroplasty procedures was 3%; in primary total knee arthroplasty, 6.14%; and in revision of total knee arthroplasty, 3.45%. Staphylococcus aureus was prevalent. The length of the surgical procedure showed a tendency toward being a risk factor (p = 0.067).

CONCLUSION: The prevalence of infection in cases of primary total knee arthroplasty was greater than in other cases. No statistically significant risk factors for infection were identified.