Efficacy of Local Antibiotic Injection Via a Catheter for Treating Acute Periprosthetic Infections After Knee DAIR Surgery: A Prospective, Randomized Controlled Trial Study

Prosthetic Joint Infection (PJI) is a severe complication following joint replacement surgery, imposing significant economic and health burdens on patients. For acute PJI, the DAIR (Debridement, Antibiotics, and Implant Retention) procedure is a necessary and effective treatment method, as it effectively clears the infection while preserving the prosthesis, thereby avoiding more complex surgical interventions. However, the practice of using drainage tubes postoperatively is controversial. Some studies suggest that drainage tubes may increase the risk of infection, while other literature indicates no statistically significant difference in infection risk associated with their use.In this context, Professor Li Cao's team at Xinjiang Medical University has improved the traditional DAIR procedure by incorporating long-term local antibiotic injections post-surgery, achieving positive results. Despite this, the specific method of antibiotic injection, particularly whether to use a drug infusion tube, remains under debate. The use of an infusion tube can reduce patient discomfort, shorten the local disinfection process, and theoretically decrease the time the incision is exposed to the external environment, potentially lowering the infection risk. However, the validity of these theoretical assumptions needs further confirmation through high-level scientific research. This study aims to evaluate whether there are differences in joint function recovery, changes in blood infection markers, and the incidence of postoperative complications between using and not using an infusion tube for local antibiotic injection after knee DAIR surgery. To assess the value of the infusion tube in local antibiotic injection post-knee DAIR surgery, a randomized controlled trial (RCT) will be conducted. Eligible patients will be randomly assigned to the infusion tube group (experimental group) or the non-infusion tube group (control group). The study will prospectively collect basic information, joint function scores, blood infection markers, and postoperative complication data from both groups, including patient age, gender, educational background, and postoperative blood test results. Ultimately, the RCT aims to demonstrate the therapeutic efficacy of the infusion tube method.