Establishment of an interdisciplinary board for bone and joint infections

[Standards in inpatient care of infectious diseases]

In addition to the one-year advanced training program in infectious diseases that has been in place for several years, a six-year-full specialist training in internal medicine and infectious diseases (ID) has recently been introduced in Germany. While recommendations for ID training program curricula were developed, there is no description of genuine ID activities in Germany, nor have any working standards been defined to date. However, this seems to be necessary, both for the structural implementation of ID in German hospitals and for ensuring the quality-of-care. The current article therefore outlines standards for core ID activities as well as quality requirements for efficient ID training programs. As long as no separate speciality for pediatric ID is established in Germany, these principles should also apply in paediatrics and adolescent medicine.

Recent advancements and future directions in fracture related infections: A scoping review

Fracture-related infections (FRIs) are complex challenges in orthopedic and trauma surgery, driving ongoing advancements in diagnostics, therapeutics, and management strategies. This scoping review examines recent progress and future directions in FRI management. Diagnostic enhancements encompass standardized definitions, improved biomarkers, advanced microbiological techniques, and innovative imaging modalities. Promising future diagnostics may include point-of-care testing, advanced imaging with enhanced specificity, and machine learning algorithms. Advancements in implant technology emphasize materials science, surface modifications, and personalized 3D printing, enhancing durability and antimicrobial efficacy. Immunomodulatory therapies targeting T cell dysfunction offer potential in addressing FRI chronicity. Enzybiotics and phages present promising alternatives to combat antibiotic resistance, with enzybiotics demonstrating effectiveness against biofilm-associated infections. Patient optimization, multidisciplinary approaches and specialized reference centers play vital roles in comprehensive FRI management, particularly crucial in resource-constrained settings. Collaboration and investment in research and technology are imperative for harnessing the full potential of these advancements and improving global FRI management outcomes. Addressing these complexities necessitates a multifaceted approach integrating clinical expertise, technological innovation, and global cooperation to optimize patient care and mitigate the burden of FRI worldwide.

Detection of Cutibacterium (Propionibacterium) acnes in orthopaedic surgery: serious problem or contamination?

PURPOSE

Bone and joint infections are an important and increasing problem. Whether intraoperatively detected bacteria should be considered relevant or not is often difficult to assess. This retrospective cohort study analyzes the relevance of C. acnes cultured from deep intraoperative specimens.

METHODS

All deep tissue samples collected intraoperatively between 2015 and 2020 from a quartiary care provider were evaluated for detection of C. acnes and its therapeutical consequences. Infection rates were determined according to a standardized definition and protocol and analyzed in dependence of patient's demographic data (age and gender), operative parameters (type of surgery, body region/location of surgery, and impression of the surgeon), and initiated therapy.

RESULTS

In 270 cases of more than 8500 samples, C. acnes was detected. In 30%, the detection was considered an infection. The number of samples taken and tested positive for C. acnes correlated significantly with its classification as a cause of infection. If more than one sample of the patient was positive, the detection was significantly more likely to be treated as infection (p < 0.001). In 76% of cases, a consultation to the infectious diseases (ID) department took place regarding the classification of the pathogen detection and the therapy to be carried out. Almost all of the tested isolates demonstrated the wild-type susceptibility for penicillin and clindamycin.

CONCLUSION

Intraoperative detection of skin-colonizing bacteria such as C. acnes is not always synonymous with infection. In particular, if other examination results contradict an infection (pathological sample without evidence of an infectious event, detection of malignant cells, etc.), the situation must be considered in a very differentiated manner. Interdisciplinary boards, for example, are suitable for this purpose. Care should be taken to obtain a sufficiently large number of tissue samples for microbiological examination to be able to better classify the result.