Time to positivity of acute and chronic periprosthetic joint infection cultures

A prolonged incubation time is generally recommended for diagnosing periprosthetic joint infections (PJI). However, in literature, no distinction made between acute and chronic infections. All patients with a PJI that underwent surgical debridement November 2015 February 2019 or without revision of the prosthesis were retrospectively evaluated. Synovial fluid, 5 intraoperative tissue samples, sonicated cultured. Fifty-nine analyzed, including 21 PJIs (33 isolates) 38 (46 isolates). In PJIs, all isolates grew within days, while this took 11 days PJIs. Sonication fluid showed shortest to positivity (78% at day 2) but difference was observed compared cultures. contrast cultures from do not need clear benefit sonication.