ABSTRACT
In orthopaedic surgery, the introduction of implants in clinical medicine was a breakthrough not only for patients with bone fractures but also for those with osteoarthritis or those needing spinal fusion. This chapter provides pathogenesis, clinical presentation and diagnosis of implant-associated infections, periprosthetic joint infections (PJI), internal fixation-associated infections and implant-associated vertebral osteomyelitis (IAVO). The goal of the therapeutic management of IAVO is a pain-free patient with a stable spine and an eradicated infection. In brief, all patients with early-presenting IAVO need thorough surgical debridement and retention of the hardware. The chapter summarizes the type of microorganisms that are found in PJI. It indicates novel strategies against biofilm infections. The chapter shows a classification according to the duration of infection, which is crucial for the choice of the appropriate surgical strategy. It also summarizes the frequency of microbiological isolates in 86" of patients with monomicrobial infection.
