Debridement, Antibiotics, and Implant Retention in Periprosthetic Joint Infection after Unicompartmental Knee Arthroplasty: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

When a partial knee replacement becomes infected, surgeons must decide whether to remove the implant or try to save it. This episode reviews a systematic review and meta-analysis on debridement, antibiotics, and implant retention for periprosthetic joint infection after unicompartmental knee arthroplasty. Pooling nine studies and 165 patients from several countries, the authors found that the implant-saving approach achieved an infection-free survival of 72 percent, with all-cause implant survival around 67 percent. However, roughly one in three patients eventually required conversion to a total knee replacement, and about one in six needed a repeat debridement. Staphylococcus aureus was the most common infecting organism, found in about 39 percent of cases, and most infections were acute. The evidence comes mainly from small case series, so quality is limited, but the message is practical: for an acute infection with a well-fixed implant, DAIR is a reasonable first-line treatment, provided patients are counseled honestly about the real chance of further surgery. Debridement, Antibiotics, and Implant Retention in Periprosthetic Joint Infection after Unicompartmental Knee Arthroplasty: A Systematic Review and Meta-AnalysisBałoniak A, Jancevski T, Campos Martins E · The Journal of Arthroplasty, 2026https://doi.org/10.1016/j.arth.2026.05.035 Want our summary slides for every paper? Follow us on Instagram: @dr.polotrauma