Application of antibiotic-loaded bone cement in unicompartmental knee arthroplasty: inhibiting IL-6 levels and reducing postoperative infection rate.
Dexiang Zhang, Yang Shen, Shaobing Zhang et al.
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In 30 seconds
This prospective randomized controlled trial compared antibiotic-loaded bone cement (ALBC) containing 1.0 g vancomycin hydrochloride with cement without antibiotics in 104 patients with osteoarthritis undergoing unicompartmental knee arthroplasty. At postoperative day 7 and 3 months, the ALBC group had lower inflammatory markers, including IL-6 (17.05 ± 3.72 vs 22.05 ± 4.38; p < 0.001). The group also had a lower postoperative infection rate (p = 0.016), higher HSS scores (p < 0.001), and better overall clinical efficacy (p = 0.010).
Key findings
- IL-6 was lower with ALBC than without it at postoperative day 7 and 3 months (17.05 ± 3.72 vs 22.05 ± 4.38; p < 0.001).
- The postoperative infection rate was lower in the ALBC group (p = 0.016).
- HSS scores were higher (p < 0.001) and overall clinical efficacy was better (p = 0.010) with ALBC.
Why it matters
The findings suggest that antibiotic-loaded cement may influence both postoperative inflammatory markers and clinical outcomes after unicompartmental knee arthroplasty. The reported infection-rate difference is clinically relevant, while the accompanying marker and functional results provide additional outcomes for evaluating this approach. The results apply to the studied osteoarthritis population and should be interpreted in the context of the trial evidence.